


The Chronicles of the Starship DEO

by SandstoneSunspear



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Anti Mon-El, F/F, Space Pirate Alex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-15
Updated: 2018-05-28
Packaged: 2018-10-05 13:42:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 36,001
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10309391
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SandstoneSunspear/pseuds/SandstoneSunspear
Summary: Or alternatively known as: How a panicking crew member accidentally turned Alex into a galactic legend





	1. How Alex Danvers Because A. Skywalker

**Author's Note:**

  * For [NerdsbianHokie](https://archiveofourown.org/users/NerdsbianHokie/gifts).



> So this popped into my head after reading all the Space Pirate!Alex stuff Nerdsbianhokie had and wouldn't leave me alone. I'm hoping it turned out okay. Depending on the response, I might continue this and add somewhat connected one-shots and stuff.

Alex saw Kandorian blade slice her right hand out of the corner of her eye just as Lyra’s panicked scream of “Captain!” hit her ears. The searing pain of a severed arm hit her seconds later. It was only years of DEO training that kept her from collapsing.

The Kandorian marauder looked surprised when Alex didn’t immediately collapse to her knees or start screaming in agony. The look of his face morphed into one of shock as Alex, despite now having only one arm remaining and being in considerable pain, shoved her boot knife in between his third rib, killing him.

The rest of Alex’s motley crew quickly dispatched the remaining marauders. It was only when the last Kandorian body hit the ground did Alex’s knees meet the floor.

A cry of agony tore through Alex’s throat as she clutched what remained of her right arm. Spots danced before her eyes. She could make out her crew rushing to her side. Seconds later, she felt the sharp sting of a needle. She blacked out a moment after that, the painkiller-sedative combo doing its job relatively quickly.

-

Alex’s eyes flew open. She sat up with a start, or at least, tried to. Gentle hands pushed her back down.

“Captain, be at ease,” Zar’ya urged. She was the resident Roltocon of the ship and despite not having forged a psychic connection with Alex (who had politely refused on the grounds that she was mated), she could easily tell that her Captain was still in considerable pain.

Alex still struggled. Zar’ya just sighed and let her up. Alex looked around the medbay to see the concerned faces of her crew.

“You’re all looking at me like I’ve died and come back to life.

Jackson, a young Allureonite, shuffled nervously. Alex raised an eyebrow at him.

“What, Jack?”

“It’s just, you got hit with a Kandorian scimitar and the fact that you’re awake, let alone still breathing is kind of a miracle, Captain.”

Both of her eyebrows went up at that. “How do you figure? I’ve definitely been hit by worse.” She pointedly ignored the throb that echoed from her stump.

“Yeah, we know,” Kessel growled out from the crate he had claimed at  _his_  seat. “But what junior here is too scared to tell you is that Kandorian blades are coated in a fast-acting neurotoxin that tends to be fatal for anything not Kandorian.”

“Oh.” Alex finally looked down at her stump. The crew had done a good job of patching it up. It was neatly bandaged, though the bandages had spots of red on them. What sent a spike of worry through Alex’s gut was the sight of several black lines running from her stump, upwards. Poison, just like Kessel had said. A tightly tied tourniquet just below her elbow appeared to just be keeping it at bay.

Alex looked up from her arm and back at her crew. “Well…that’s not great,” she said, trying to sound nonchalant. 

Kessel let out a snort at her words. She ignored him.

“Does anyone know of a place where we can go to keep this stuff from actually killing me?”

The crew exchanged looks. Alex had to fight back a wince. That didn’t bode well. There was some scuffling before Reinhart, one of their newest pickups, was shoved forwards. They looked like a deer caught in the headlights. Zar’ya gave them an encouraging smile.

Reinhart swallowed. “Um, well, there’s…there’s a medical facility on Taevar,” they stammered out. 

Alex’s brow furrowed. Okay…that was something at least. But why were they so nervous about that?

Kessel thumped Reinhart in the back. “Onlyproblemisthatit’shereinthissystem!” Reinhart yelped out all in one breath.

It took Alex a second to work out what it was they had said. Once it registered, her face adopted a look of dismay.

“Are you saying we have to stay in this cluster to get the antidote?” she demanded.

A sea of nods was her answer.

“A cluster where we are all wanted and have bounties worth several hundred thousand credit on our heads?”

More nods.

Alex sighed. Why couldn’t things just be simple for once? 

“Alright, set a course for Taevar,” she grumbled. She glared in annoyance at her stump. “And let’s hope that we don’t ping on the Galactic Authority’s radar.”

-

A day and a half later and Alex and her crew had finally made it to Taevar. Alex currently sat in an examination room, accompanied by Lyra, Reinhart, and Kessel. The last day and a half hadn’t been kind to Alex. The tourniquet had done its job slowing the Kandorian poison but it hadn’t stopped its affects. 

She sat on the examination bed, her face pale. Sweat beaded her forehead. Her stump throbbed constantly now and Alex was sure that if Lyra hadn’t administered painkillers before they had all gone planetside, she would be unconscious from the pain.

The door to the exam room creaked open, causing them all to tense. Alex’s good hand shot to the sword strapped to her right hip. A Taevaran doctor stepped in before Alex could unsheathe it, eyes still on Alex’s chart.

“Hello, Captain…” the doctor trailed off when she looked up from the chart due to both the chart lacking a name to address her patient and her eyes catching Alex’s hand on the hilt of her sword. 

The doctor cleared her throat. “I mean you no harm,” she said reassuringly. 

Lyra removed Alex’s hand from the sword.

The doctor relaxed slightly. “I’m Chief Medic Veloura,” she greeted. “And you would be…?”

Alex and her groundside team exchanged nervous looks. At last count, the crew of the DEO had made the wanted list in four different systems. No way in hell were they going to give up their true identities.

Reinhart cracked first. “Skywalker!” they blurted out.

Chief Medic Veloura and Alex both looked at them. Kessel and Lyra fought back twin snorts of amusement.

Reinhart chuckled nervously. “The Captain’s last name is, uh, Skywalker. Doesn’t like to put it up on the forms, that one,” they babbled.

Alex fought the urge to facepalm. Of all the…

Chief Medic Veloura took it all in stride. She quickly updated the chart. 

“That’s completely understandable. Now, regarding your injuries, Captain Skywalker.” Alex resisted the urge to groan at the name. “You have a severed right forelimb and are suffering from Kandorian poison.”

“Blasted slavers,” Kessel grunted out.

Chief Medic Velour nodded in understanding. “Unfortunately, we cannot regrow your forelimb,” she announced. “We have the antidote on hand,” Kessel snickered. “And while we can administer it immediately, we do not know its effects on,” she checked the chart. “Martian species.”

“I’ll take,” Alex said quickly. 

Veloura nodded. “Very well, Captain Skywalker. I shall return shortly.”

-

As soon as the door shut, Alex’s glared at Reinhart. Despite having been weakened by poison, her glare was sharp enough to make the hapless Korugaran squirm.

“Skywalker?” she demanded. “Really?!”

“I panicked!” Reinhart defended. “Besides, you’re very much like him?”

“What?!” 

“You have a glowing sword and have lost your hand,” they pointed out.

Alex sputtered. “Still, _Skywalker_?” she whined.

“Oh, lay off them, Cap,” Kessel groused. “Kid did you a favour. I mean, it’s not like we could actually give your real name. We’re fucking space pirates.”

She scowled, hating how he was right. Of course, it’s not like they had all become space pirates intentionally. They just always seemed to be area when shit went down and somehow always ended up involved in taking out one space gang or another.

“Look at the bright side,” Lyra spoke up. Alex raised a questioning eyebrow at her. “You’ll have an awesome story when we get back to Earth  _and_  you can get all of the Star Wars jokes out of the way before we get there.”

Alex gave her a small smile. Leave it to Lyra to bring a little optimism to the group. 

“I suppose you have a point,” she said.

She looked back down to her stump. While having one’s arm severed by a Kandorian marauder wasn’t as dramatic as have it severed by a Sith Lord, Alex figured that everyone back on Earth would kick at kick out of her story nonetheless. Hearing she’d managed to survive more than an hour after having been poisoned might even make J’onn frown a little less about her space pirate activities.

-

Alex, Reinhart, Kessel, and Lyra quickly left the medical center once the antidote had been administered. They were all glad to leave the place, albeit for different reasons. Kessel nursed a black eye, the result of Alex flailing at the sight of a needle as long as her hand. Who would’ve thought that the normally unflappable Captain had a thing against needles longer than her hand? Lyra and Reinhart were both fighting twin headaches. And Alex? Alex was sulking.

As soon as four sets of boots hit the DEO’s corridors, Alex was barking out orders.

“Alright, people, I’m no longer dying, so let’s get the fuck out of here before someone puts two and two together and tries to make a play for an early payday.” She walked into the cockpit, watching as her crew quickly sprang into action. The helmsman, a Fenrite who, for reasons no one knew, simply went by Bob, glanced at her. Alex gave a curt nod.

“Set a course for Earth, Bob, and make a backup in case we need to alter course. Again.”

Bob nodded, turning his attention to the panel in front of him. “Setting a course for Earth…Captain Skywalker.”

Alex fought back a twitch. She pinched the bridge of her nose with her good hand and sighed. Her crew was never going to let this go.

-

_6 months later…Earth_

“Uh, J’onn?” Winn called out uncertainly. 

“What is it, Agent Schott?” J’onn suddenly appeared behind Winn, drawing a yelp of surprise.

“Ahh! We should really think about putting a bell on you…” he trailed off at the dark look that crossed J’onn’s face. “Right, back to the subject I called you for: we’re picking up a message from deep space.”

His announcement caught everyone’s attention. A message from deep space could’ve been from Alex, which could’ve meant she and the rest of the deported aliens were still alive.

“Put it through,” J’onn ordered at once.

Winn’s fingers flew across the keyboard. Within minutes, a video message flashed across the DEO computer screens.

“…A. Skywalker appears to have originated from the Sol system. They, and their crew, are wanted on multiple counts of piracy, assault, theft, and slave liberation. Again, we are offering a reward for any information that will lead to the capture of A. Skywalker and the Starship DEO…”

Eyebrows went up. A. Skywalker? Starship DEO? Was this some kind of joke?

The questions everybody was asking were promptly answered when images of Alex, cybernetic right arm and her glowing sword, appeared on screen. Jaws dropped and cheers broke out. 

J’onn rubbed his forehead. Of course it was Alex. He hid his small, but proud smile, though. That was his adopted daughter: wreaking havoc throughout the galaxy to protect her space family.

Kara fought back tears seeing the pictures of Alex. The last 6 months didn’t look like they’d been kind to her sister, but at least they show she was still alive and fighting. 

While everyone celebrated the news that their fellow agent was still out there, and alive, Maggie was silent. Tears welled in her eyes. The images of Alex brought her that much closer back to Maggie, but she was still so far away that it made her heart ache. 

“…are wanted for multiple counts of piracy, assault, theft, and slave liberation…” 

Maggie grinned as the message echoed through the speakers again. That was her girl. She closed her eyes and prayed. When she opened them, her eyes met J’onn’s. They nodded, almost imperceptibly, to each other. They were going to bring Alex home.

 


	2. Bad Idea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Or alternatively known as: Why you shouldn't bring up the supposed merits of slavery in front of Alex or her crew

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I decided to continue the Space Pirate Alex fic. This one ended up being a lot more intense than I'd originally intended it to be. Still hope everyone likes it.
> 
> This takes place after the Starship DEO make it back to Earth.

  
"That's one thing I definitely miss about Daxam, you know, the slaves," Mon-El mentioned casually to Reinhart.  
  
Alex's ears twitched. She, and the rest of her crew, turned their heads to listen in further.  
  
Reinhart, for their part, looked increasingly uncomfortable as Mon-El continued to talk.   
  
"You all pick up any during your time as space pirates?" He nudged Reinhart, who flinched at the contact.  
  
"Uh, no, definitely not," they stammered out.  
  
"You missed out, kid." A smile appeared on Mon-El's face. "Picking up a new batch of slaves was always the best part of space travel!"  
  
Alex's beer bottle shattered in her cybernetic hand, showering the table with glass and catching everyone's attention. She had heard enough. By the looks on faces of her crew, they had as well.  
  
"What did you just say?" She asked lowly.   
  
Mon-El gave her a confused look. "I was just telling the kid here how the best part of space travel in new systems was picking up a new batch of slaves," he repeated.  
  
Alex nodded and flashed him a fake smile. "Yeah, that's what I thought you said."  
  
She calmly removed her jacket and placed it on the back of her chair. Maggie, having picked up what was going on, stood up to intervene, but Alex shook her head.   
  
"Reinhart, I think I heard Lyra saying she needed your help in the galley," Alex said.   
  
They nodded. "Uh, right. I'll just head over and help her with the casserole." They quickly fled the room, thankful that Alex had given them an out.  
  
By now, the rest of Alex's crew was on their feet. Winn, Vasquez, James, and Eliza looked confused as to what was going on, but J'onn and Kara understood immediately.   
  
Mon-El looked around the room confusedly. He didn't understand why Alex's crew looked ready to beat him senseless. All he had said was the truth.  
  
He shrugged. "You missed out, you know, by freeing slaves instead of taking them."  
  
Kessel snarled at his words, but Alex held up her hand before he could charge forward. She gave Mon-El a thin smile and crossed the room in three short strides to face him.  
  
"A word of wise, Mon-El," she started. "It's a really bad idea to praise slavery in front of us."  
  
"Why?" Mon-El asked, puzzled.   
  
"Because we're not big fans of it."  
  
Mon-El laughed. "Are you serious?" He asked incredulously. "Y'all were freaking space pirates! How could you not take slaves?"  
  
"Because." Alex pulled her fist back. "We were busy freeing them from people like _you_."  
  
Before he could react, Alex smashed her fist into his jaw. Years of fighting aliens bigger and stronger than she was had done wonders for her strength. Having a metal arm certainly helped. Whereas before her punch would've broke her hand, it now sent Mon-El flying.   
  
He crashed on to the coffee table. Winn, James, and Eliza stared in disbelief, but Vasquez, Maggie, Kara, and J'onn nodded understandingly.   
  
"Alexandra!" Eliza voice was full of reproach but Alex ignored her. She'd had seven years to learn how to shut that voice down.  
  
Mon-El groaned to see Alex standing over him, her eyes full of disdain.  
  
"What the hell was that for?"  
  
"If there's one thing I've really come to hate in the last seven years, it's slavery, and I especially hate slavers," she said coldly, before a dark smile spread across her lips. "Did you know that slave rings still talk about the exploits of the Prince of Daxam?"  
  
"Aw come on," he whined. "It was all fun!"  
  
Something in Alex snapped.  
  
"Fun?" She repeated. " _Fun_?"  
  
-  
  
"Oh, shit," Kessel grumbled. "He's dead." His fellow crew mates nodded their agreement. Maggie looked at them curiously.  
  
"You mind clueing me in, big guy?" She asked.  
  
Kessle looked down, almost as if surprised to see her. He recovered quickly.  
  
"Cap hates slavers." He said simply before his gaze turned distant. "We rode up on a slave ring in Alpha Centauri about two years ago. They were taking kids and butchering the ones they didn't think would see. When Cap saw what they were doing...let's just say there's a reason slave ships tend to go in the other direction of ours."  
  
Maggie turned to look back at the woman she loved. Alex's entire posture screamed fury. _Oh, Danvers_...  
  
-  
  
Alex hoisted Mon-El up, her hand clenched tightly around his throat.   
  
"There is nothing fun about taking innocent people and selling them like cattle," she snarled. "There is nothing fun about butchering children simply because they won't increase your profits. And it is certainly not worth bragging about!"  
  
That last part came out as a roar just as Alex slammed him into the ground again. The wood floors splintered from the force of the impact. She punched him once more, the sound of Durasteel meeting flesh echoing throughout the room.  
  
Mon-El could do nothing. While caught off guard from the first punch and dazed from being slammed into the floor, facing a furious Alex Danvers was something he just had no experience against.   
  
"Uh, J'onn," Winn whispered harshly. "Shouldn't we be doing something?"  
  
J'onn raised an eyebrow. "Agent Danvers just floored a Daxamite, Mr. Schott," he pointed out. "What do you expect me to do in the face of that?"  
  
"She's going to kill him!" Eliza protested.  
  
"I don't think she'll go that far, Eliza," J'onn reassured her. Privately, though, he wasn't so sure. Alex's mind was a whirlwind of fury and intense hatred. She had little patience for those who would sell others into servitude, but from what he had picked up from the rest of Alex's crew, her rage was more than warranted.   
  
-  
  
Alex continued to pummel Mon-El. Some part of her knew that she might be taking this a little too far, but the rest of her was too furious to listen. The last seven years had shown Alex some of best things that the universe at large had to offer, but it had also shown her some of the worst. So many of her crew members had suffered at the hands of slave rings. A group of slavers had been the reason that Sameen was dead and why Astra was left to grow without a budparent.   
  
Metal meeting flesh continued to sound. It soon turned wet as Alex's fists drew blood.  
  
Maggie had seen enough. She knew Alex was hurting, that she was angry, but it was time for her to stop.  
  
"Danvers!" She called out. Alex seemed to pause for half a moment before driving her fist back into Mon-El's face. "Danvers!"  
  
Maggie approached Alex. She grabbed her arm just as it was readying to strike again.  
  
"Danvers, stop!" Alex tried to pull her arm from Maggie's grasp. "Alex! Alex stop!"  
  
She pulled Alex off of him. She wrapped her arms around Alex, both to keep her from re-attacking Mon-El and to provide some modicum of comfort to ground her.  
  
"Ally, stop. It's okay, I think he gets it," she murmured into Alex's ear.   
  
Alex's chest heaved as she stood still in Maggie's arms. The red haze slowly left her vision. She glared down at Mon-El.  
  
"Get. Out." She hissed to him.  
  
He tried to say something, past all the blood streaming down his face, but Alex cut him off.  
  
"Get out, now. Before my crew decides to finish what I started."   
  
Mon-El looked around to see Alex's crew. They looked ready to kill him. Kessel looked particularly murderous.  
  
Mon-El coughed. "Yeah, okay, I'm out." He pushed himself to his feet and stumbled to the door. He glanced over his shoulder trying to make eye contact with Kara, but she pointedly ignored him.   
  
-  
  
The door shut with a loud click. As soon as it did, Alex slumped further into Maggie's embrace. Kessel cleared his throat, signaling to everyone that they should get back to whatever it was they were doing to give the two of them some privacy. Not for the first time was Alex grateful for his presence.  
  
Maggie pressed a kiss to Alex's forehead. "You alright Danvers?" She asked quietly.  
  
"No," Alex admitted. She looked at Maggie, her eyes full of regret. "I'm sorry you had to see that."

“I’m not. If you ask me, he had it coming,” Maggie said with a small shrug.

“I like her,” Kessel said loudly from the couch cushion he had claim as _his_ , not even attempting to hide the fact that he was listening in. 

The rest of the crew nodded their agreement. 

Alex laughed. “I do too,” she said warmly.

Maggie raised an eyebrow. “So, what you’re saying is that you like me?” she teased.

Alex rolled her eyes.  “Nerd.”

-

The Superfriends watched Maggie and Alex. They were all still slightly taken aback by what had just occurred. Winn and James were stunned at how quickly Alex had dispatched Mon-El, but they were understanding. Both had grown increasingly uncomfortable with the Daxamite’s remarks, especially when they had attempted to inform as to why those statements weren’t welcome here on Earth and had been met with resistance.

Vasquez, for their part, nodded in approval. While they hadn’t exactly believed Alex to be rusty, it had been seven years since the two of them had done some “friendly” sparing. After seeing Alex hand Mon-El’s ass to him, they were roaring for a go to see if they could still take Alex on. 

J’onn nodded, not even bothering to hide his smile of admiration. That was space daughter! Not for the first time was he glad that he couldn’t read the minds of Daxamites or Kryptonians; if he’d been able to read Mon-El’s mind in the past, he probably would’ve gone after the idiotic man-child himself. He, like Alex, had little tolerance for the act of slavery or the people who sought to profit from it. He had spent a good portion of his adult life in a prison camp on Mars where he and his family had been treated no better than slaves. He had been force to watch as the White Martians worked his people to death and slaughtered those who’d survived the conditions.

Kara was grateful that she had finally ended things with Mon-El several years prior. After hearing how quick he was to praise slavery and treat it as if was simply a fun pastime, she wondered what it was she had ever seen in him. She was glad Alex had shown him the error of his ways, she just wished that it involved a little less…property damage. She glanced at the splintered floor and winced. Well, there went her deposit.

Kara’s eyes met Maggie’s. Maggie gave a small nod in her direction before returning her attention back to Alex, still wrapped up in her arms. Kara smiled. If any part of her still doubted Maggie’s devotion to her sister, it was silent now. Obviously, some things had changed; that much was inevitable given that it had been seven years. But Maggie’s feelings for Alex hadn’t waned. Anyone with eyes, functioning or not, could see that Maggie was still madly in love with her.

Maggie continued to murmur words of love and comfort to Alex. Kara’s smiled widened ever so slightly when she heard Alex let out a small laugh and a quiet “Nerd!” Oh yeah, Alex was definitely going to marry that woman.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some characters mentioned in this chapter haven't made an appearance yet. They will later on, I just have to work out the logistics of it all. Also, these chapters won't really follow any particular order, and some will be unrelated but still take place in the Space Pirate!Alex universe. 
> 
> Again, I hope you found it somewhat enjoyable/readable. Let me know what y'all think and send me idea/prompts on tumblr @sandstonesunspear


	3. Space Dinosaurs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Or alternatively known as: The Antics of Kevin and Hellen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Space Dinosaurs have finally arrived! Some of this comes from discourse between nerdsbianhokie and change-the-rules on tumblr.

Kessel took the crowbar and quickly removed the top of the crate. He peered in and blinked.

“Well, Kess?” Jackson pipped up. “What is it? Randorian ale? New weapon’s mods for the Captain to nerd out over?”

Kessel said nothing. He continued to stare inside the box, not quite believe what he was seeing.

“Uh, Kessel?” Kessel’s silence was starting to make everybody nervous.

He finally turned away from the box. “Somebody get the Captain.”

-

Alex walked into the cargo bay. She was a little disgruntled at having been woken up to find the ship _not_ under attack. She had, after all, given specific orders to not be woken unless someone was dying, in need of serious medical attention, Reinhart and Jackson were attempting to bake a cake, or the ship was under attack.

“Alright, I see no smoldering cake and no one appears to be dying, so somebody better have a good reason for waking me up,” she grumbled.

The crew, as one, immediately pointed to Kessel. Alex sighed. Of course it was Kessel. The giant Boloxvian appeared to take no notice of her entrance and was hunched over the crate while…cooing? Alex’s brow furrowed. Okay…no wonder the Jackson had been so alarmed when he’d gone to get her.

She cleared her throat. “Kessel?” He turned away from the box and turned to look at her. “You mind cluing me in here?”

“You have check this out, Cap,” he grunted, motioning for her to join him. Alex gave him a wary look but obliged him nonetheless.

She glanced into the box and blinked. Were those…?

“Are those what I think they are?” she asked.

Kessel shrugged. “Looks like it. I mean, you’ll probably have to run some tests to confirm, but so far I can tell, yeah.”

Alex looked back down into the box. Two tiny figures stared back at her. Dinosaurs. Tiny dinosaurs in space. Honestly, she didn’t know why she was so surprised.

-

“Well?” Reinhart asked eagerly. “Are they really dinosaurs?” Word had spread around the ship that the box contained what appeared to be, by all accounts, a pair of miniature dinosaurs. Granted, prior to today, a good chunk of the crew had no idea what dinosaurs were given that they didn’t exist on other planets, but still. It wasn’t every day that a supposedly extinct animal from a planet 10 light years away showed up on a ship, and in miniature form to boot.

Alex examined the chart that Lyra handed her. Her eyebrows lifted as a grin spread across her face. She nodded.

“According to the tests we’ve run, yeah,” she confirmed. “We now have two dinosaurs to add to the crew manifest.”

Just hearing those words said aloud sounded absurd, but in all honesty, none of them were surprised anymore.

“Captain, what names would you have us add to the manifest?” Zar’ya asked from her station.

Alex raised an eyebrow at her. “You’re asking me?”

Zar’ya shrugged. “You’re the captain. You named the ship,” she pointed out. “Why should you not name our newest crew member?”

That Alex had named the ship _DEO_ to stop Lyra from registering it as _Boaty McBoatface_ shouldn’t have inspired confidence in anybody regarding her ability to properly name things.

Zar’ya gave Alex an expectant look. Alex sighed. She looked at the two tiny dinosaurs, which appeared to be some kind of pterodactyl according to the chart she held in her hands.

“How about Kevin and Hellen?” She asked after several moments.

The Roltocon gave Alex an approving nod. “Very well,” she said. “I’ll made the necessary changes to the roster, Captain.” She moved to the terminal to input the information, leaving Alex to continue to observe her newest crew members.

Alex hummed her acknowledgement.

“Why Kevin and Hellen, Captain?” Lyra asked curiously.

“Kevin just looks like a Kevin,” she said with a shrug. “As for Hellen…well, I have a feeling she’s going to raise Hell.”

A loud yelp came from the bed, drawing their attention. Reinhart was holding their finger, which Hellen has just taken a nip at. Based off the blood that she had drawn, it was obvious that Hellen, and possibly Kevin, had some sharp teeth.

Alex gave Lyra a look. “See what I mean?”

-

DAY 1

“Thangarian balls!” Kessel snarled. Where had his heatsink gone? He’d just put it down.

“You kiss your broodmother with that mouth, Kess?” Lyra asked from her position at one of the benches without taking her eyes from her reports.

“Oh, bite me,” he growled.

He continued to search the area around him, lifting box after box as if they weighed nothing. Given his size and strength, they probably didn’t. He was growing increasingly frustrated with each lifted box revealing nothing. A chirping noise caught his attention. He turned.

There stood Hellen, his heatsink clenched in her jaws. Kessel swallowed nervously. That heatsink of his was heavily modified. It was great for long firefights and siphoned excess heat from his blaster back into the rounds, giving them an extra punch. But there was a reason few people, aside from Alex, wanted to be near him when he was tinkering with his rifle: that extra punch that the heatsink granted also made it incredibly unstable when removed from the rifle. And now, the newest member of the crew was holding in her jaws without a care in the world.

He crouched down, careful to keep his movements slow.

“Hello, Hellen,” he greeted calmly. “Please return my heatsink. Cap’ll be pissed if you ended blew up the cargo bay.” He paused. “Come to think of it, she’ll also be pretty upset if you get blown up too.”

Hellen tilted her head as if contemplating his words. Sweat gathered on Kessel’s forehead with each passing second. Then, Hellen made a muffled chirp, flicked her head, and tossed the highly unstable at him.

Kessel’s heart stopped. The heatsink seemed to fall in slow motion as he lunged. He could hear Hellen chirping away in the background. His managed to get his hands around it but fumbled it. He felt his thump press the indent in the groove. Everything around him seemed to go silent. Ah fuck.

A tiny beep was Kessel’s only warning before the heatsink exploded. He was sent flying and crashed into a bunch of cargo crates. The acrid smell of burning hair told him that he’d just lost his eyebrows. Again.

He lifted his head to see Hellen flying about and Lyra laughing. He clunked his head back on to cold metal floor of the cargo bay. Wonderful.

-

DAY 2

Fenrites were not the deepest of sleepers. How could they be, when Romulus was one giant death trap? With just about everything on the home planet trying to kill them, a Fenrites brain had evolved to be on constant alert. Using the inherent sensory organs within the body, the brain pictures of the surrounding area so that the sleeping Fenrite could be ready to react at a moment’s notice. That also meant it was incredibly hard to take a Fenrite, sleeping or awake, off guard.

So, when Bob woke up, he immediately noticed that something felt…off. His brow furrowed momentarily before that weird sensation ran through him again. His frown deepened. It appeared to be coming from his left ear.

He reached to the left side of his body, figuring that he had just slept on top of another data pad. He was surprised when his hand met a leathery body instead of a data pad. He glanced to his left ever so slightly and was taken aback to see Kevin happily nomming away at his ear. Coming from Romulus, and having lived on Earth, it certainly wasn’t the weirdest sight he’d ever encountered.

Bob sighed. “Remove your teeth from my ear, Kevin,” he ordered firmly.

Kevin continued to chew Bob’s ear.

Bob reached for Kevin once again, only to be met with the tiny dinosaur snapping at his fingers. His ear wasn’t able to enjoy being free from tiny teeth before Kevin returned to chewing it.

Bob sighed again. It was obvious that Kevin had no intention of leaving his ear alone and he was too tired to deal with this shit. Kevin would get bored sooner or later. Whether or not he would still have an ear once Kevin was done chomping on it didn’t really concern Bob. It would grow back, eventually.

Bob closed his eyes and tried to go back to sleep. Kevin kept chewing his ear.

-

DAY 3

The doors to the medbay hissed open.

“The medkits are in the third cabinet to the left,” Zar’ya said, without even looking up from stitching Kessel’s shoulder.

“Thanks, Zar,” Reinhart said. They raided the mentioned cabinet, pulling a battered medkit out.

“Which one got you, kid?” Kessel asked.

“Kevin,” Reinhart replied as they began bandaging their hand. “Apparently, he likes to bite as much as Hellen does.”

Kessel grunted.

“Which one got you?” Reinhart asked.

“Hellen.” He didn’t need to elaborate. The tale had already spread around the ship. His lack of eyebrows had only verified what being told.

Reinhart nodded sympathetically. “She’s a troublemaker,” they remarked.

“Eh, she’s feisty.” A gleam of admiration appeared in Kessel’s eyes. “I like it.”

Zar’ya scoffed and tugged the needle tightly, causing him to wince. “Kessel, we are well aware of your masochistic tendencies,” she said in exasperation. “But please keep them to yourself when I’m the one working on you.”

Kessel chuckled. “You got it.”

The medbay doors hissed open again. In walked Bob, sans his left ear. He took in his injured crewmates and an exasperated Zar’ya.

“Which one got you, Bob?” she asked.

Bob blinked. “Kevin. He likes my ears.”

-

DAY 4

“So, can you tell me why the number of crew members coming into sickbay has tripled in the last four days?” Alex demanded.

Lyra cleared her throat. “Well, it appears as though our original estimations regarding the ages of Kevin and Hellen were slight off, Captain.”

Alex’s brow furrowed. “And what does that have to do with injured personnel?” she asked.

“Developmentally, Kevin and Kellen are in what humans would call their ‘teething stage,” Lyra explained.

Alex stared at her. “You have to be kidding me.”

“I’m afraid not.”

“But they have teeth already!” Alex protested. “Reinhart got bit on day one!”

“The primary teeth have developed. The remain four sets are now coming in,” Lyra said calmly.

“So, everyone who’s been injured these past four days has been injured because Kevin and Hellen are _teething_?”

“Yes, and they’re using the crew as ‘teething rings.’”

Alex just sighed.

-

DAY 5

The Silohan snarled. “Easy ship, they said,” it grumbled. “No one’ll put up a fight, they said. Creechmate fucking assholes!”

The raid had gone to hell as soon as it and the rest of its creech had stepped foot on the Starship DEO. They had immediately been met with a hail of blaster fire. Declan had fallen to a Boloxvian brute. Emil had been gutted by a Korugarian _child_! Taxa had been taken out by a Starhaven bitch wielding, of all things, a frying pan! As the leader of the raiding creech, Cinna had done its best to ignore its fallen creechmates and plowed on, only to come face to face with the ship’s captain.

She had chased it across the ship, a look of fury on her face. Her blade, which looked to be made from Akkadian kyber, had reflected every shot Cinna had put out and forced it on the defensive. Cinna hated being on the defensive. It was used to aliens cowering before it and its creech.

Now Cinna was hiding in the cargo bay, praying to its gods for a way off this ship before it fell at the hands of a furious human woman. It could hear the sounds of boots running throughout the corridors accompanied by the occasional shriek as another Silohan was taken down. Cinna snarled with each shriek. Never before had it encountered a ship crewed by so many different aliens that worked so well together. Come to think of it, it had never encountered a ship with a multispecies crew either.

A soft trill caught Cinna’s attention. It looked up to see a tiny alien with wings. Cinna relaxed, lowering its gun at the sight. Obviously, this thing, probably the ship’s pet, was of no threat to it.

Big mistake.

The tiny alien let out a hair-raising shriek. Cinna had no time to react before the alien dove in and bit it in the throat. Cinna flailed as the jaws clamped tighter around its throat. It let out a gurgle as blood bubbled in its throat before everything went black.

-

Alex stepped into the cargo bay, sword drawn. She had heard Hellen’s shriek and had come running. She cautiously moved about, only to come to a stop at the sight of a dead Silohan and a preening Hellen. She stared.

“Did you kill him?” Alex asked.

Hellen trilled happily.

Well, alright then. Alex nodded her approval. “Good job, Hellen.”

-

DAY 6

Zar’ya examine the number of patients before her. While some of them were recovering from the raid carried out by the Silohan creech the day before, most of them were in the sickbay because they were suffering from bite wounds. She sighed.

Alex walked in. In addition to being the ship’s Captain, she was also their Chief Medic. The only reason she wasn’t tending to the wounded was because she’d had to do a final sweep of the ship to make sure that none of the Silohans from the second raiding creech had remained on board.

“How’re the wounded, Zar’ya?”

“Well, they’ll all live,” she replied bluntly.

“I’m sensing a but coming,” Alex remarked dryly.

Zar’ya gave her a look. “ _But_ ,” she stressed. “Most of the wounded aren’t here because they were wounded during the raids.”

Alex sighed. “Let me guess, they’re the latest batch of those service as Kevin and Hellen’s ‘teething rings?’” Zar’ya could practically hear the air quotes around the words _teething rings_.

“Indeed. Might I suggest getting, I don’t know, actual teething rings for them instead of letting them use the crew as chew toys?”

“Jackson offered up one of his broken rifles, the one made from duranium,” Alex said. “Kevin snapped it in half with a single bite.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah.” Alex folded her arms and leaned back slightly. “Turns out, they have a bite strength of over two tons, which shouldn’t be all that surprising considering Hellen ripped out the throat of the Silohan creech leader from the first raid.”

Zar’ya frowned. “So, we’re just going to let Kevin and Hellen continue chewing on the crew?” she asked.

“Yeah.” Alex shrugged. “I mean, no one’s dead, aside from the Silohans, so they obviously have the fine control needed to safely chew on the crew.”

For once, Zar’ya couldn’t argue against that logic.

-

DAY 7

Alex face planted on to the bed. It had been a long week. The appearance of Kevin and Hellen had been a welcome reprieve and had lifted the spirits of everyone on board, but then everything else quickly decided to nosedive. Kessel had blown up the cargo bay and singed off his eyebrows, again. Bob was missing an ear and wouldn’t disclose how it had happened. The number of crew members visiting sickbay had dramatically increased because Kevin and Hellen were teething. To top it all off, the _DEO_ had come under attack not once, but _twice_ , by Silohan raiding creechs. Needless to say, this had been the week from hell. Granted, there was no such thing as an easy week given that they were several light years away from Earth, but this week in particular had just sucked.

Zar’ya had noticed how exhausted Alex was and had recommended she get some rest, posting to the crew that they were not to disturb Alex under the threat of being jettisoned out the airlock. Normally, Alex would’ve protested, said she was fine, and gone about her business before walking into a wall. But for once, she chose not to complain. In fact, she was looking getting some uninterrupted shut eye.

She should’ve known better. As soon as her eyes slipped shut, the intercom crackled to life.

_“Captain?”_ Came Reinhart’s uncertain voice.

Alex wrenched her eyes open. “Yes, Reinhart?” she said, working hard to keep her voice from becoming a growl.

_“I think we have some trouble in the bridge.”_

Alex huffed and swung her legs so that she was sitting up. “You _think_? You’re going to have to be a lot clearer than that.”

_“Uh, well, it’s kind of hard to explain over the comm, Captain,”_ they stammered.

She pinched the bridge of her nose. “Alright, hang tight, I’m coming.”

-

Alex stepped into the bridge. She had spent the walk from the Captain’s Quarters to the cockpit preparing for a worst-case scenario. While she hadn’t been met with any alarms or panicking crew members, she was still wary. After all, in space, Murphy’s Law ruled supreme.

That said, she was absolutely unprepared to see the nightshift bridge crew fawning over Kevin and Hellen. Alex stared. _Were they actually…_? She rubbed her eyes. Yep. Her crew, made up of aliens from numerous species, many of whom had spent time on Earth, were using Kevin and Hellen to recreate a scene from _Firefly_. From the looks of Kevin and Hellen, they weren’t exactly pleased with this development.

She glanced at Reinhart, who caught her eye and shrugged. Given that they hadn’t been on Earth, it was no surprise that they had no idea what was going on. Alex moved to approach them all, careful to keep her steps light as so not to be noticed.

“…we should call it your grave!” Jackson growled, gently manipulating Hellen.

Hellen let out an indignant squawk at the motion.

“Grah! Curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal!” Bob countered as he moved Kevin to the side.

Kevin also voice his displeasure.

Alex cleared her throat. “What’s going on here?”

Everyone jumped. They turned as one to look at Alex. She dug her thumb nail into her finger to keep herself from laughing at the expressions on their faces. They all looked like children who had been caught going after the cookie jar.

Jackson was the first to recover. “Uh, Captain, sir!” He saluted, releasing Hellen.

Hellen trilled, happy to no longer be a prop.

Alex raised an eyebrow. Yes, she had worked for a government paramilitary organization that was militaristic in nature and demanded some formality, but that formality had no place on a ship in deep space whose crew was basically family. The only time when she would ask for such a thing was when they were about to go planet side or came upon another ship and hoped to establish diplomatic ties.

Jackson squirmed at her raised eyebrow. It was obvious to him that Alex was awaiting an explanation, which wasn’t a good thing. She was, after all, not exactly the most patient of people.

“We were just, uh…” he tripped over his words.

Bob came to the rescue. “We were helping Kevin and Hellen exercise,” he said quickly. Jackson shot him a thankful look.

Alex look unimpressed by their lying prowess, or lack thereof. And she thought Kara had been a terrible liar.

“Bob, let Kevin go.” He immediately released Kevin.

Kevin let out a happy sounding noise.

Alex held both of her arms out to Kevin and Hellen. The two miniature pterodactyls made their way up her arms and settled themselves on her shoulders.

“Kevin and Hellen will be coming with me,” she said calmly. “From here on out, they are not to be used as props for you all to reenact scenes from _Firefly,_ understood?” The _I can’t believe I actually have to tell you all this,_ went unspoke as she glared at them, daring someone contradict her.

The crew respected Alex enough to not disagree with her. Even if they hadn’t, the sight of Alex Danvers with two pterodactyls perched her shoulders like a pair of parrots would’ve been enough to have them nodding their agreement.

Alex nodded, satisfied. “Glad we all understand each other. Now, I’m going to bed and sleeping for the next eight hours. If things slightly go to hell, grab Kessel and Lyra.”

Another sea of nods answered her.

“Goodnight, everyone.” Alex turned on her heel and exited the bridge with Kevin and Hellen still sitting on her shoulders.

-

Alex only managed to get five hours of sleep before another Silohan raiding creech, not having learned from the previous two raiding creechs, decided to take a stab at the _DEO_. She was not pleased.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed it. As always, let me know what you think and feel free to check me out on tumblr @sandstonesunspear


	4. The Budling, Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Or alternatively known as: That obligatory baby acquisition fic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I've finally got part one out. It's a lot longer than I'd originally anticipated it being. Hope y'all enjoy it. Sorry if the ending's rubbish.

Sameen awoke with a start. Something was wrong. They sat up and swung their legs over the edge of their bunk. They were careful not to disturb Kessel, who lay snoring loudly in the bunk below.

An unusual sensation ran through their mind once again, almost like a shy psychic touch. Sameen’s brow furrowed. What it was specifically, they couldn’t tell. They only knew that it had made them restless for the past several nights, and tonight it was more pronounced than ever.

They sighed and quietly dropped down from their bunk. Perhaps the medbay would bring some answers.

-

Zar’ya looked up at the sound of the medbay doors hissing open to see Sameen slink in. Her eyebrows rose at the sight of a clearly worn Saurian, an unusual sight given how resilient Saurians were.

“Evening, Sameen,” she greeted, glancing over at the clock to make sure it was actually evening. It was hard to tell day from night in space without a clock.

Sameen grunted. Zay’ra’s eyebrows crawled even higher. While they weren’t the most verbal of crewmembers, Sameen had never been one for stilted verbal communication.

“What troubles you, friend?” she asked.

“Something awoke me. A feeling running along my mind. It does not come from the crew.”

Alarm bells sounded in Zar’ya’s head. Saurians were extremely sensitive to psychic phenomena and were often the first to sound the warning if a psychic attack was about to occur. It was taxing, sure, but it was also a great feature to have when one shared a ship with others who also possessed psychic abilities.

“May I?” Zar’ya asked. It was always polite to ask first before initiating a meld with anyone not Roltocon. This was especially true if the prospective partner was a Saurian, because they tended to react to violently to unwanted telepathic contact.

Sameen nodded and closed her eyes. Zar’ya pressed her lips to theirs, eyes slipping shut as she reached out with her mind. Almost immediately, a gentle, tentative, touch danced across the telepathic connection. It caused her to pull back and look at Sameen in surprise.

Sameen looked at Zar’ya worriedly, not having expected her to sever the connection so soon.

“That,” they said. “That was the feeling.”

Zar’ya’s gaze softened. “It’s nothing malicious,” she rushed to assure them.

“What do you mean? It does not come from the ship!” Sameen protested.

“Sameen, you’re budding.”

Sameen was taken aback. That couldn’t be right. They had joined with Samar almost a year ago, before everything had gone to hell, but insofar Sameen could tell, nothing had resulted from the joining. At the time, they had just thought that perhaps they had misinterpreted the signs and hadn’t quite reached that stage in the Saurian lifecycle yet. And then once they had been sent into space by Cadmus, they had chalked it up to stress at being the only Saurian on the ship.

“Sameen?”

Zar’ya’s gentle tone snapped them out of their shock.

“My apologies, Zar’ya. What did you ask?”

“Do you have anyone to help you?” she asked. If she recalled correctly, Saurians needed a partner to aid them along during their budding cycle, particularly for the latter half. Otherwise, the pain and stress could easily kill them.

Sameen placed their hand on their pouch. They looked out the window of the medbay.

“No.” They replied after several moments. “Not here. Not now.”

-

It was a well-established fact that, despite being more than willing to pull several all-nighters in a row, Alex Danvers loved sleep. Having been an agent of a semi-clandestine paramilitary organization on Earth, and now the de-facto captain of a starship, a night of uninterrupted sleep was a rare, wonderfully extraordinary gift.

So, when her comm terminal started to ping with a new message, Alex was growling even before she was fully awake. She lifted her head to see the light flashing red intermittently, signaling that the message was urgent, and resisted the urge to face-plant back into her pillow. She got up and stumbled over to her terminal, eyes squinting as its bright light illuminated the otherwise dark captain’s quarters.

_‘Captain, your presence is requested in the medbay. This is a sensitive matter that must be discussed in person. –Zar’ya.’_

Alex’s brows furrowed at the message. Well that was…vague. Still, Zar’ya wasn’t one for exaggeration.

She sighed and threw on her coat. So much for a quiet night.

-

 Zar’ya and Sameen both looked up when the doors to the medbay hissed open. Zar’ya felt slightly guilty for having sent the message so late at night, seeing that Alex was exhausted. But this wasn’t something that could wait.

“Alright, what’s up?” Alex asked around a yawn. She blinked a few times to clear her eyes. She was surprised to see Sameen sitting on one of the tables. “Sameen?”

Sameen was silent. They were still coming to terms with the Zar’ya’s discovery. They had no idea how to explain the situation.

Zar’ya cleared her throat. “My apologies for waking you, Captain, but as you can see, I have an urgent matter to discus with you,” she said.

“I’m not seeing much of anything right now, Zar,” Alex said. “Care to clue me in?”

“I am budding,” Sameen spoke up, before Zar’ya could say anything else.

That caught Alex’s attention. “You’re _what_?” Was Sameen about to split in two or something?

“Budding,” they said again. Had the Captain not heard them the first time?

Alex waved her hand. “I got that part, but—”

“How much do you know about Saurian life cycles, Captain?” Zar’ya interrupted.

Alex’s brow furrowed. “Not much,” she said slowly. She gave Sameen an apologetic look. “They weren’t a species the DEO ran into often.”

Zar’ya nodded. “Understandable.” She cleared her throat again. “Do you mind if I explain your situation to the Captain, Sameen, or would you prefer to do it?”

Sameen waved their hand. “I will leave it to you. Should you require my aid, I will provide it.”

“Uh, hello?” Alex waved her hand. “The human is lost here.”

Zar’ya sighed. “Saurians have a complex life cycle, Captain,” she started. “And they can only reproduce at a certain point in their life. The term is hard to translate, but the closest thing would be ‘budding,’ hence Sameen’s use of the word.”

Alex frowned but said nothing as she processed the information.

“Sameen has reached that point in their life.”

The pieces finally clicked for Alex. “Wait,” she said. She pointed between the two. “You’re saying that Sameen is _pregnant?_ ”

“No?” It came off more as a question than a concrete answer. “Ish?” She tried again.

_“Ish?!”_ Alex was trying incredibly hard not to lose it. Yes, she medical doctor and yes, she had extensive knowledge regarding xenobiology, but she had no idea what to do with a pregnant alien. It was bad enough that they were all stuck on a ship that was lightyears away from Earth, but they were also stuck on a ship whose medbay was _not_ equipped to handle pregnant individuals, regardless of the species.

Sameen picked up on Alex’s panic and immediately moved to counter it.

“This medbay will serve its duty fine, Captain. The medbay is not the concern.”

Sameen’s words pulled Alex back from her panic, but only just.

“What do you mean it’s not a concern? Of course it’s a concern!” she sputtered. “We don’t have the proper equipment to handle anyone birthing _anything_! Not to mention, we’re in the middle of space and extremely wanted!”

Zar’ya placed her hand on Alex’s shoulder, drawing her attention. “Let Sameen explain before you completely go off the rails, Captain.”

Alex took a deep breath and motioned for Sameen to continue.

“My people do not birth as humanoids do. The subunit is not brought into the world cold, but rather into our pouch.” Sameen motioned to a region on her lower abdomen. Alex could make out a slight opening. “The ship will not require any added or unique nutritional supplements for the subunit, as the pouch will provide them.

“I’m sensing there’s just a bit more to this than you’re letting on,” Alex said.

Sameen nodded. “In order for the subunit to emerge safely, I require a _kepesh-par_.”

Alex’s brow furrowed. “A what?” She could speak Kryptonese, Martian, and a smattering of other alien languages, but that had just gone completely over her head.

Sameen frowned. How best to describe a term that had no proper translation outside of the Saurian language?

Zar’ya stepped in. “I believe the closest translation would be a combination of co-parent and birth coach.” She looked to Sameen for confirmation and was met with a nod.

“What exactly does a _kepesh-par_ do, aside from help a baby Saurian emerge?” Alex asked curiously.

“They aid a budding Saurian through the pain.” Sameen replied simply. “Without a _kepesh-par_ , we Saurians would fall in the face of the stress and pain.”

“Wait, you’re saying you could die from this?”

“Without a _kepesh-par_ , yes.”

Alex could only stare in disbelief. Sameen was incredibly calm with divulging this information.

“Saurian births aren’t like a human’s, Captain,” Zar’ya spoke up. “They involve a great deal of psychic pain in addition to physical pain, since a telepathic connection gets formed between the main parent and the subunit.”

Alex said nothing as she took the information in. She took a deep breath.

“Alright.” She pinched the bridge of her nose and exhaled. She looked at Sameen. “What exactly would you need in a _kepesh-par_? Do they have to be Saurian?” If they did, then Sameen was in trouble since they were the only Saurian on board.

Sameen shook their head. “No, while preferred, a _kepesh-par_ does not need to be Saurian. They simply must be able to handle the psychic and physical load of the emergence without their brain hemorrhaging or dying.”

Alex looked to Zar’ya. “Do we have someone on board that’s capable of that?” she asked.

Zar’ya gave a small shrug. “It would take some time, but I could probably find someone. Unfortunately, the longer we wait, the greater the danger to Sameen. There isn’t a whole lot of data on Saurians out there, but from what I’ve read, a _kepesh-par_ needs to establish a bond with a parent and subunit pretty early on.”

Alex frowned. She folded her arms as she contemplated the options. Suddenly a thought struck her.

“What about me?” she asked suddenly, taking both Zar’ya and Sameen by surprise.

Zar’ya frowned. “What about you?”

“Would I work as a _kepesh-par_?” Alex clarified. “I’ve melded with Martians before and my brain didn’t turn into chunky salsa.” Zar’ya face screwed up in disgust at the image.

Sameen shook their head. “I cannot ask this of you, Captain,” they said.

Alex gave them a small smile. She placed her hand on Sameen’s shoulder.

“I’m offering, Sameen,” she said gently.

“It will bring you pain.”

“I can handle pain.” She shrugged. “Before all this happened, I was worked for a paramilitary organization and had a tendency to punch things much bigger than myself.” A thoughtful look crossed her face. “Come to think of it, I still tend to punch things much bigger than myself.”

The truth in that remark drew a laugh from Sameen and a sigh of exasperation from Zar’ya.

“You’re part of my family out here, Sameen,” Alex continued. “I’m not going to let you die from something that I can prevent. And there’s no way in hell I’d let you go through this alone.”

-

Silence reigned in the medbay following Alex’s declaration. Zar’ya scanned her data-pad, just to see if what Alex was proposing was even safe, let alone possible. Alex did have a high tolerance for pain. After all, she had returned from a planet-expedition with four broken ribs and said not a word about them. The only reason Zar’ya knew was because Kessel had brought it to her attention so she could treat Alex.

Sameen mulled over Alex’s words. Samar wasn’t here and they needed a _kepesh-par_ , sooner rather than later. They had felt Alex’s mental fortitude and caught glimpses of her stubbornly defying a White Martian’s mental probe. They closed their eyes and felt Alex’s sincerity in her offer.

-

“Very well.” Sameen broke the silence, drawing Alex and Zar’ya from their thoughts. She looked at Alex. “Captain, I would be honored to have you as my _kepesh-par_.”

A wide smile broke across Alex’s face. “I’m the one honored, Sameen,” she said with a tip of her head. She glanced at Zar’ya, whose attention had returned to the data-pad.

Zar’ya looked up, having felt Alex’s gaze on her. She shot a quick look back to her data-pad before nodding.

Alex returned the nod before focusing back on Sameen. “Alright.” She took a deep breath. “Let’s do this.” She frowned for a moment. “Is there anything in particular that I need do before…?”

Sameen shook their head. “No, Captain. Be at ease.” They placed a clawed hand on the side of Alex’s face with a gentleness one would not expect. “ _May our minds be one.”_

Alex felt a slight twinge before things fell away.

-

_Alex opened her eyes to an inky blackness. She looked around. She was alone. She opened her mouth to speak but no noise made its way out of her throat. She didn’t have time to panic before a whooshing noise caught her attention. She turned to see images rushing past her._

_An image of Kara and the others during Game Night played for a moment. Her eyes widened. These were memories._

_Alex felt the air shift as the memory changed from Game Night to her and Maggie dancing on Valentine’s Day. Her heart clenched at the sight of Maggie resting her head on her shoulder as they both gently swayed to the music._

_The shifted again. This time, it was a foreign memory, probably Sameen’s. She saw another Saurian holding Sameen, almost like Maggie had held her._ Samar. _The name came unbidden to Alex’s mind. This had to have been Sameen’s original_ kepesh-par _, she mused. She couldn’t help but feel a bit like a voyeur watching this memory play out._

_The images of Sameen and Samar faded out leaving Alex in the dark once again. She felt unusually calm, despite being alone in the vastness of…well whatever this was._

_A small little thrill went through her suddenly. She looked to her right and saw a dim light in the distance. Alex walked towards it. Each step saw the light grow brighter and brighter until it was almost blinding._

_Alex shielded her eyes once she finally made it to the light. As if sensing Alex’s discomfort, the light dimmed down. She lowered her arm to see what exactly it was she was dealing with. She frowned at the sight of a glowing ball. It appeared to be no bigger than a softball._

_She reached out to touch it and it moved to meet her halfway. She gasped when her hand connected with it, feeling a surge of emotions rush through her._

_This was Sameen’s budling. Alex couldn’t hold back her laugh at the feeling of utter joy it exuded. It was playful, almost bouncy._ Like Kara…

_The comparison brought forth a memory of Kara laughing and smile. It played around them, the sound of Kara’s laughter making the budling bounce around._

_“Hi,” Alex said quietly. “I’m Alex Danvers. Guess you probably already know that. I’m your parent’s_ kepesh-par _and I’m going to help keep you safe.”_

_The budling pulsed happily in response._

_Alex felt a subconscious tug. Someone, Sameen probably, was pulling her back. That meant the meld was ending._

_The budling pulsed sadly as it felt Alex being pulled away._

_“Hey, none of that now,” she scolded gently. “I’ll be around.”_

_The budling gave two short pulses, as if telling Alex that it was holding her to that._

_Alex smiled and closed her eyes, feeling the air rush past her._

_-_

Alex opened her eyes. She was met with Zar’ya’s worried gaze.

“You alright, Captain?” she questioned, her voice full of concern.

Alex had to blink a few times to readjust to the lights of the medbay. “I think so?” It came out more as a question than a definitive answer than Alex would’ve liked it to. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“You were down for a while,” Zar’ya explained. “Barely breathing or moving.” She shot a look at Sameen. “If Sameen hadn’t told me you were fine, I would’ve thought the meld had killed you.”

Sameen made a wounded noise of protest at that. “The Captain is resilient. Her mind is strong. I knew as soon as the meld began she was in no danger.”

Alex cleared her throat to catch their attention and to keep the two of them from fighting.

“Zar, I’m fine,” she reassured. “A little disoriented, sure, but it’s nothing I won’t recover from.”

She looked at Sameen, who was staring at her.

“Did it work?” she asked them.

Sameen closed their eyes. They could feel the subunit, no, _budling,_ Sameen corrected themselves when it pulsed petulantly. Apparently, it had come to enjoy Alex’s term for it and no longer wished to be referred to as a subunit. They smiled. The budling bounced around telepathically, informing Sameen of Alex’s journey and all the fun memories it had seen and expressed its happiness with their _kepesh-par_.

“Yes, Captain,” they replied, opening their eyes. “It has worked. Feel for yourself.”

Alex frowned. Feel for herself? How was she supposed to do that?

On a whim, she closed her eyes. She felt a happy thrill skitter across her mind. Her eyes snapped open in shock.

“How…?” Was all she could ask.

“As the _kepesh-par_ , you now share a link with the budling, as I do. As you can tell…”

“It’s happy.” A grin spread wide across Alex’s lips. “Wow. That’s…that’s something else.” It was different, feeling the budling’s emotions outside of the meld.

Before Alex could say anything else, a wave of exhaustion suddenly swept over her. She swayed slightly and had to brace herself against the medical bed to keep from falling over.

Zar’ya rushed to her side in alarm. Alex waved her away.

“’M fine, Zar,” she protested.

“You’re slurring your words, Captain,” Zar’ya retorted. “You are most definitely _not_ fine.” She moved to grab the scanner, but Sameen stopped her.

“The Captain is fine, Zar’ya,” they said. “She is simply taxed from the melding. It is draining for anyone who has not undergone it.”

“Yeah, what they said,” Alex slurred. She struggled to right herself.

Despite Sameen’s assurances and Alex’s protests, Zar’ya scanned Alex anyway. She nodded when the scanner confirmed what Sameen had said.

She sighed. “I suppose it doesn’t help that you were woken up rather late, or early, I guess,” she said, closing scanner with a shut. “Best thing now is for you to get some rest, Captain. And no melding for the next few days.”

Alex looked ready to protest, but a firm glare from Zar’ya kept her silent. She settled for grumbling her dissatisfaction as she moved to leave.

“And Captain?” Zar’ya called out.

Alex glanced back over her shoulder just as she reached the doors.

“I mean it, do get some rest. Who knows when you’ll get the opportunity again?”

Alex’s frowned, slightly baffled, but said nothing. She exited the medbay, unaware of the smirk on Zar’ya’s face.

-

“That was unnecessarily cruel, Zar’ya,” Sameen remarked.

Zar’ya shrugged. “Humans. Think they’re invincible, especially that one.” She sat down and glanced out the window of the medbay. “Think you’ll be able to sleep soundly now, knowing what’s coming?”

Sameen nodded. “Yes.” A smile appeared on their face as the budling reached out, as if it knew it was being discussed.

“Good. You ought to get back to sleep then,” she said. “You’ll be needing it too.”

“I find the humour of your statement to be lacking,” they replied dryly.

Zar’ya flashed them a cheeky smile.

-

Alex face planted on to her bed. Melding with Sameen had taken a lot out of her, more than melding with J’onn or the White Martians ever had. Establishing a connection with the budling had been enjoyable experience but she couldn’t help but feel a little sad. She and Maggie had discussed having children, but only in passing. Privately, she wondered what Maggie would say if she were here.

Alex let out a sigh and closed her eyes. There was no use in thinking about it now. It would only make the ache in her heart stronger.

Her eyes snapped back open when Zar’ya’s cheeky remark finally clicked her in head. Oh Rao. She was going to be a co-parent/birth coach. There was going to be a tiny child-alien-budling roaming the ship, a ship that seemed to be a hostile raiding party magnet.

She could already hear her mother chiding her, _‘Really, Alexandra? I can't believe you allowed a child to be born on an alien ship in outer space surrounded by hostile forces! What were you thinking?’_

Alex let out a groan. As much as she missed her family, she was grateful, not for the first time, that some of them, namely her mother, hadn’t accompanied her the night Cadmus shot her into space.

She glanced at the clock. It flashed an obscenely early time at her. She buried her face in the pillow. Enough. She’d worry about all the tiny details and panic properly in the morning. Right now, she needed sleep.

After all, Zar’ya had a point: Alex was going to lose some major sleep with a tiny budling on the way. 


	5. The Budling, Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Or alternatively known as: The second part of that obligatory accidental baby acquisition fic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, the budling is here! Thanks to ressick for the awesome headcanon that they sent into nerdsbianhokie. Sorry for not crediting you earlier, mate. 
> 
> Hope you all enjoy it. Sorry if this chapter's a bit rubbish towards the end.

 

_6 Months later…_

-

Alex leaned back in the Captain’s Chair, silently watching as her crew went about their business on the bridge. Despite the calm demeanor she portrayed, she was on edge. The week had been unusually quiet; no one had launched an attack against the _DEO_ , Kessel hadn’t blown up the cargo bay, and Jackson and Reinhart’s latest attempt at making sweets hadn’t sent anyone to the medbay. Most people would see a quiet week as a relief, especially given how stressful the last six months had been, but Alex wasn’t most people. If her years as a DEO agent and her time in space had taught her anything, it was that a quiet week made for a bad omen.

Alex’s frown deepened. She wasn’t a superstitious person, but she felt like she was waiting for the other shoe to drop. What was she missing?

A sharp jolt of pain pulled her from her thoughts.

_‘Alex-par!’_ A keening voice echoed through her mind.

Her eyes widened. That was Sameen’s budling. That pain must have meant…

She shot to her feet, startling Kessel.

“Kessel, you have the bridge,” she said hurriedly before he could say anything. Her panicked tone drew the attention of the rest of the crew. “I’m headed to the medbay!”

She shot out of the bridge, leaving the crew to look to exchange stunned looks. Alex was rarely one to panic. It was her unflinching attitude and calm head that had kept swayed Kessel to her side and kept them all alive when faced with foes who saw the _DEO_ as easy pickings.

“Um, should we be worried?” Reinhart asked curiously.

“I’m sure the Cap’s got it under control, kid,” Kessel grunted out from the chair he had claimed as _his_. “She’ll let us know if it ain’t.”

Reinhart looked unconvinced, as did most of the crew, but a look from Kessel had them all quickly returning to their stations.

-

Crewmembers flattened themselves against the walls as Alex rushed past them. Her boots hammered against the metal corridors as she ran to the medbay. Blood pounded her ears with each stride she took. She worked to shove down her rising panic. It wouldn’t do Sameen or the budling any good if she showed up unfocused.

-

The doors to the medbay hissed upen. Zar’ya and Sameen both looked up to see Alex come stumbling in, chest heaving.

“Sorry I’m late!” Alex apologised. “I got here as soon as I could!”

Zar’ya worked to get Sameen settled before she addressed Alex.

“You’re fine, Captain,” she reassured. “Sameen’s just started.”

Alex moved towards Sameen. She checked the Saurian over. Sweat was beginning to gather on Sameen’s forehead, but other than that, they looked like they were doing fine.

They picked up on Alex’s concern. “I’m fine, Captain,” they said. “Uncomfortable, but fine.”

Alex looked unconvinced. She reached out over the _kepesh-par_ bond to check on the budling.

_‘Alex-par!’_ It greeted. She could feel happiness pulse across the bond.

_‘Hey, kiddo,’_ she said mentally. _‘You ready to join the crew?’_

_‘Ready! Ready! Ready!’_

Sameen laughed. As the budding unit, they also shared the bond and subsequently could hear the budling as well. Though at first they had worried about how the budling would receive Alex as the _kepesh-par_ , the last six months had proven that worry for naught. The budling had been curious at first, but eagerly welcomed Alex.

-

Alex, for her part, had proven a capable _kepesh-par_. She was a doting _kepesh-par_ , though she had spent the first two months being extremely protective of Sameen and the budling. Sameen had accepted early on that Alex’s protective attitude came from being an older sibling and being mated back on Earth. At first, it was endearing, but it quickly got out of hand. They, along with Lyra and Zar’ya had been forced to counsel Alex after she had almost taken a hyperspanner to Kessel’s knees when he accidentally knocked Sameen over. Alex grudgingly agreed to tone it down, but continued to worry over the two.

-

Alex smiled as Sameen laughed. She was happy to see that the budling was eager, but she couldn’t help but be slightly afraid. What if she messed this up? What if something happened during the final budding stage? Once she and Sameen melded, she wouldn’t be able to do anything, medically, for them or the budling.

The budling picked up on her anxiety. _‘Alex-par, go okay!’_ It chirped up.

“Yes, everything will be fine, Captain,” Sameen said, giving her a look of mock reproach. “We are in Zar’ya’s capable hands.”

Alex glanced at Zar’ya, who was busy getting the medical equipment online. Zar’ya was indeed a capable medic, and while she wasn’t Alex, she was the better choice. If, god forbid, things went south, Zar’ya could remain objective and focused. Alex wouldn’t be able to. She wasn’t programmed that way.

Zar’ya glanced at Alex. “I’ve got this, Captain,” she said. “You’ve made me recite the protocol, along with the seven contingencies we have in place should anything happen, repeatedly over the last six months.”

Alex had the decency to look embarrassed. Before she could say anything, Sameen let out a cry of pain. A yelp from Alex followed moments later.

Zar’ya checked over the read out. She shared a look with Alex, who had a hand braced against Sameen’s bed. It was time.

Alex managed a grin before she moved to Sameen’s side. “Alright.” She inhaled deeply to gather herself, knowing that the next few hours were going to hurt. She took their hand, feeling a buzzing at the base her skull, signaling that the meld was about to begin.

“Let’s do this.”

-

_HOUR 1_

Alex felt hungover. Not hungover in the “get that beer away from me, the sight of alcohol makes me want to vomit, I’m never drinking again” sense, but in the “I feel like someone just took a sledgehammer to my brain and I want to die” sense. She had a high pain tolerance, but an hour in and she was silently wishing for an ice pack, or at least, for Zar’ya to turn the lights down in the medbay.

“Forgive me, Captain,” Sameen apologised as another wave of pain rolled through her.

“Don’t worry about it,” Alex replied with a shake of head. She regretted the action almost immediately. “I’m no stranger to this sensation.”

She felt a shy telepathic touch. It was the budling.

_‘Alex-par and Bud-par no hurt.’_

Alex gave a small laugh. “I’m alright kiddo,” she said aloud. Trying to communicate over the bond wasn’t something she was keen on doing right now, given that her head was pounding. “You focus on getting yourself out.”

_‘I must concur,’_ Sameen spoke up mentally. _‘Alex and I will endure.’_

The budling made a small noise of protest before retreating.

Zar’ya gave Sameen a curious look. “So, is it common for Saurian budlings/subunits to try and provide aid to the budding parent and _kepesh-par_ during the final budding?” she asked.

“I am uncertain,” they said. “Much of the information regarding the final budding stage of my people differs from budding Saurian to budding Saurian.”

“No kidding,” Alex muttered. That was an understatement. Soon after the establishment of the _kepesh-par_ bond, she had gone digging for information regarding Saurians and their reproductive methods. She’d quizzed crewmembers, searched through numerous terminals, and even raided a library on Katoh-Fel. It had proved fruitless. And much to Alex’s frustration, what little information she had uncovered couldn’t even be applied to Sameen.

Zar’ya ignored Alex’s grumbling. She scanned Sameen and nodded.

“Well, at least you’ll be able to add to the Saurian experience record,” she remarked. “Because this’ll be over soon.”

Alex and Sameen both raised eyebrows at that.

“And by soon, I mean within the next five hours.” If Sameen hadn’t been holding her hand, Alex would’ve face-palmed. She hated Zar’ya sometimes. Sameen vocalized their displeasure at Zar’ya’s remark.

Zar’ya chuckled. “Sorry,” she said, not sounded the slightest bit apologetic. “Couldn’t resist.”

-

_HOUR 2_

Sameen was no stranger to pain. They had been captured and tortured by loyalist forces on Soris-Vel before being sent to a “reeducation” camp on Salel-Rok. They had survived there for eighteen months before managing to escape to Earth.

That said, they were quickly coming to realize why their people required a _kepesh-par_ during the final budding stage. This wasn’t an ache that could be mentally blocked off, nor could one disassociate from it. No matter what Sameen did, they found that it not only did the pain remain, it continued to grow.

Sameen was broken form her musings when they felt a slight mental tug. Alex had taken note of their suffering and adjusted the bond in an attempt to counteract it, taking on more of the burden.

“That was unnecessary, Captain,” they protested through grit teeth. “You need not take on more of this burden.”

“We can go back to sharing it in a bit,” Alex retorted. “My job’s to make this a bit easier for you, yeah?”

Sameen couldn’t find it in themselves to disagree. Alex’s unexpected readjustment had indeed eased the pain. It felt less like they were being torn apart and more as though they were merely being bludgeoned with a Saurian war hammer.

Both fell into an easy silence as Alex focused on holding back the pain.

“Thank you, Captain,” Sameen said after several moments.

Alex look a little confused. “For what?”

Sameen waved vaguely. “For this, for your help.”

“You’re family, Sameen,” Alex said with a shrug. “I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”

-

_HOUR 3_

The doors to the medbay hissed open. Lyra, having been informed by Zar’ya as to what was happening, walked in. She was surprised to see how calm the medbay appeared, with Sameen meditating and Alex reading. Upon closer inspection, however, she could see how haggard Alex was getting.

“How’re they fairing, Zar?” she asked.

Zar’ya looked up from the scans. She glanced at Sameen, whose eyes were closed in meditation.

“Well, Sameen’s doing as well as can be given the situation,” she replied. She shifted her glance at Alex. “The Captain…I believe she’s suffering from ‘nervous secondary parental unit’ syndrome.”

Alex shot her a glare. “I am not!” she said indignantly.

“Captain, you’ve been reading the alien equivalent of _What to Expect When You’re Expecting_ on and off for the last three hours,” Zar’ya noted dryly.

“It’s an interesting read,” Alex defended. “I’d like to be prepared.”

“You’ve also made me recite the seven contingencies we have in place should anything go wrong five times in the last three hours,” Zar’ya pointed out.

“I need to make sure you’re prepared!”

“Captain, you’ve had me repeat the them, and the protocol, just about every day over the last six months.”

“Yeah, but—”

“Alex,” Lyra spoke up, catching her attention. She rarely referred to Alex as ‘Alex,’ preferring to address her as ‘Captain.’ “Chill. You and Zar’ya created the protocol, remember?”

Alex paused. “Oh yeah, good point,” she said. She had the decency to look embarrassed. “Wow, okay, I guess I am having a dad moment.”

Zar’ya gave Lyra a curious look. “A _what_ moment?” she whispered.

“The human term for ‘nervous secondary parental unit’ syndrome,” Lyra muttered back quietly.

“Ah.”

-

_HOUR 4_

“How do you both feel?” Zar’ya asked as she checked in on her patients.

Both Alex and Sameen were covered in sweat. Alex was trembling and her jaw was clenched tight. Sameen looked a little better, but only just. They held Alex’s hand in a death grip so tight that, from the occasional wince Alex gave, was on the verge of breaking it.  

Alex glowered. “Like I went seven rounds with a Hellgramite gang,” she replied shortly.

“Worse than after a session with Kressnik loyalist ‘reeducators.’” Was Sameen’s response.

“Well at least it’s almost over!” Zar’ya’s cheerful tone caused Alex to glared harder.

“Are you ever not perky?”

“Nope!”

If looks could kill, Zar’ya would have dropped dead several times over from the force of Alex’s glare.

“I hate you,” Alex muttered sourly. Sameen vocalized their agreement.

-

_HOUR 5_

The vicious blast of pain that hit both Sameen and Alex signaled that the end was near. Zar’ya moved quickly.

“Well, I was right, wasn’t I?”

“Not the time, Zar’ya,” Alex growled out before doubling over. She bit her lip to try and stifle her cry of pain. She tasted blood instead.

_‘Bud-par! Alex-par!’_ The budling cried out.

_‘Almost, little one,’_ Sameen soothed. _‘You are almost here.’_

Alex reached out to provide some modicum of comfort to the budling. As soon as she connected mentally, she was met with a whirlwind of fear and anxiety. The excitement that the budling had displayed earlier in the day was nowhere to be found. Now it was nervous.

_‘Hey, it’s alright. You’re okay,’_ Alex reassured. _‘We’re right here, kiddo.’_

“Whatever it is the two of you are telling the budling, keep it up,” Zar’ya ordered. “It needs to calm down a bit before it goes for the budding pouch, otherwise you’ll both end up overloaded.”

Alex made a noise of acknowledgement. She took a deep breath and focused. She didn’t bother trying to disassociate from the pain. Instead, she pulled on the bond to bring more of the pain on to herself so that Sameen could continue to comfort the budling. She gritted her teeth at the agony that ripped through. She felt like she was being torn apart, mentally and physically. She could vaguely hear Zar’ya speaking before everything went white.

-

If you asked Alex what happened in those final moments, she wouldn’t be able to tell you. All she remembered was the world turning white around her and hearing Sameen crying out before a tiny Saurian was pressed into her hands.

Alex’s breath caught in her chest at the sight of the budling. It’s was so small. She had guns bigger than it! She could make out small little ridges that would later develop into its plates.

“Hi,” she whispered.

_‘Alex-par,’_ It mewled. _‘Warm.’_ It wigged in her hands, adjusting itself within her cupped hands.

Alex had no idea what to say. Her hands, so used to dishing out damage and taking lives, now held an innocent life within them.

“Captain?” Zar’ya voice snapped her out of her awe. She looked up. “We need to get the budling into the budding pouch.”

“Right.” Alex carefully maneuvered the budling to Zar’ya.

The budling let out a small whine, obviously displeased with the change.  

Zar’ya passed the budling to Sameen. They gently brought the budling to the opening of their budding pouch. As soon as it felt the flesh of Sameen’s abdomen, the budling wiggled upwards. After several moments, it finally entered the budding pouch.

-

Sameen leaned back against the pile of pillows that had grown over the last five hours. It had seemed like with each passing hour, Alex had added another pillow to the pile until Sameen was sure that she had retrieved every pillow on the ship. At first, they had protested, but soon acquiesced, understanding that Alex was just as nervous as they were and that this was her way of keeping calm. 

Sameen was euphoric. The budling was here, safe. They were grateful for Alex’s aid. She was an excellent _kepesh-par_ that had gone above and beyond over the last six months, especially during the final moments of the budding. A twinge of sadness ran through them. Samar would’ve been a wonderful _kepesh-par_. They should have been here, but they weren’t. And they wouldn’t be on Earth either when the _DEO_ returned because Samar was dead. They had sacrificed themselves trying to protect Sameen from Cadmus. They would never get to meet the budling that they had helped create or the brave human who had offered herself to keep Sameen alive so that they could bring safely bring it into the universe.

Alex, for her part, was slumped against the bed, sore beyond belief. She was exhausted. The last five hours had felt like an eternity. She’d been on combat missions that, while they had lasted a great deal longer, felt less taxing than what she had endured today. Despite that, she didn’t regret a moment of it. The budling had arrived safely. Sameen was okay. That was worth a little pain.

Privately, Alex wondered what Maggie would have done if she were here. Would she have approved? Would she have teased Alex about having her dad moment? Would she have shared in Alex’s awe at the tiny lifeform that had been brought into the universe, despite the circumstances that surrounded them?

“Have you decided on a name for the budling?” Zar’ya asked, pulling both Alex and Sameen from their thoughts.

Alex said nothing. The budling was Sameen’s. It was their right to name them.

“Captain, would you like to name the budling?” Sameen’s question came as a surprise to Alex.

“Me?” she sputtered.

“There is no other Captain on this ship, Captain.” Sameen’s tone was tired but amused.

“Why?”

“Because you have earned the honor.” It was a simple explanation that spoke volumes.

Alex was stunned. “Are you sure you want me to name them, Sameen?” she asked. “I don’t exactly have the track record when it comes to naming things.” She tried to sound glib, but it was true. She’d named a starship after the paramilitary organization that she had worked for back on Earth, albeit she done it to stop Lyra from naming it something even more ridiculous, but still. Was Sameen serious about this?

Sameen could sense Alex’s doubt. “Of course I’m certain, Captain. I wouldn’t have asked if I wasn’t.”

They had a point, Alex mused. She mulled over her options. It felt as though it had been lifetimes since she and Maggie had discussed hypothetical baby names in passing. Maggie had been open to Ophelia and Audrey and, after M’gann had left for Mars, Megan. Alex had tossed around names like Octavia or Raven, but those names didn’t seem fitting now. She looked down to her hands. They had taken so many lives, but today they had brought one forth.

Alex closed her eyes and settled on a name. Astra. It would be a fitting name for a youngling born among the stars. She had taken Astra’s life and now she would spend the rest of her life defending the new Astra.

_‘Astra work for you, kiddo?’_ she asked, making sure they were okay with it before she had the name added to the crew registry.

_‘Astra.’_ The budling tested the name out. _‘Like Astra!’_

Alex and Sameen both shared a smile.

“Astra,” Alex told Zar’ya.

Zar’ya entered the information on the datapad. “Alright, Astra has been added to the crew manifest.” She looked at them. “I’ve put a memo out that you’ll be unavailable for next few days, except for emergencies, Captain. Even though the pain you shouldered was psychic in nature, you’ll need that time to recover.”

Alex didn’t bother protesting. While she doubted she’d be able to enjoy the time off, she welcomed the rest.

“Sameen, I’ve also logged you as unavailable so that you can have some time to further the bond with Astra,” she continued. “I would like you to remain in the medbay overnight so I can monitor the both of you.

“Thank you, Zar’ya,” Sameen said. “I actually preferred to remain in the medbay, so thank you for that as well.”

“Really?” Zar’ya and Alex were surprised to hear that, Alex most of all. No one preferred to be in the medbay if they could help it. Even Alex, who was the _DEO_ ’s Chief Medical Officer in addition to the ship’s Captain, avoided spending time in the medbay unless she her presence was required, but that might’ve also been because she was a terrible patient.

“Kessel snores.” Sameen shrugged as best they could with an aching body. “I would like to sleep tonight and do not wish to spend the night awake, having to hear him.”

“Understandable.” Zar’ya nodded. She glanced at Alex. “Captain, you’re free to return to your quarters.”

“Thanks, Zar.” Alex pushed herself to her feet with a wince. There was some serious stiffness underlying the soreness. “Contact me immediately if anything happens.”

“Of course, Captain.”

-

Zar’ya had learned early on that it was a bad idea to keep information regarding patient conditions from Alex. She had done so only once, when Lyra had come down with a minor infection, under the belief that it was beneath Alex’s concern. It didn’t go well. To say that Alex had been upset was an understatement. She immediately removed Zar’ya from the medbay and took over Lyra’s treatment. It was an entire week before Alex placed Zar’ya back in the medbay, with an apology. She had explained to Zar’ya that the crew was her family now, which meant that every medical matter, no matter how small, was Alex’s business.

-

Alex moved the leave the medbay. She cast a quick glance over her shoulder to check on Sameen and saw that they had fallen asleep. She could make out the slightly bulging budding pouch that now held Astra. She smiled.

-

Alex stumbled into her quarters. Not for the first time did she curse the distance between the medbay and her quarters. She reached her bed and all but collapsed on top of it. She was so exhausted from her day that she didn’t even bother to remove her boots. She managed to summon just enough energy to roll on to her back.

She let out a breath. On a whim, she reached for the photo that sat on the shelving next to her bed. She lifted it over her face. Maggie’s dimpled grin shone warmly at Alex. Seeing it still made butterflies flutter in her gut at the same time it made heart ache. She remembered the night that photo was taken: Kara had said something, Alex couldn’t remember what, but it made Maggie laugh. James managed catch a photo at just the right moment and sent it Alex a few days later.

Alex started to feel drowsy. She sighed and placed the photo on the pillow next to her.

_I’ll be home soon, Maggie,_ Alex vowed to herself. Her eyes slipped shut and she dreamed of small children with her hair and Maggie’s smile.


	6. The Budling, Part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Or alternatively known as: The third part of that obligatory accidental baby acquisition pic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part 3's finally here! Apologies that this has taken so long to post. Hope y'all enjoy this.

 

1 Year later…

-

“Kessel?” Reinhart piped up.

“Yeah?”

“Where’s Astra?”

Kessel waved his hand towards the makeshift crib. It had been a gift from Bob, though he’d refused to reveal where or how he’d acquired the resources to make it.

“They’re over there, kid.”

“Uh…” Reinhart glanced towards the crib. “No, no they’re not.”

Kessel looked up from his rifle and followed the Korugarian’s gaze. To his horror, the crib was noticeably missing its Saurian budling inhabitant.

“Oh shit.”

-

Astra toddled down the metal halls of the _DEO_. They stopped every so often to examine a particularly interesting wall panel or the occasional fake plant that Lyra had insisted be placed around the ship.

The corridors were relatively empty. A few crew members walked past Astra, but they took no notice of the tiny Saurian. Since it was the height of the duty day, they were engrossed in their datapads or rushing to get to another section of the ship. Astra didn’t mind. They understood that the _DEO_ -family was busy. Besides, it meant that they could make their way through the ship unseen and hopefully find Alex-par or bud-par.

A furious shout caught Astra’s attention.

 _“What do you mean you_ lost _my kid?!”_ Alex-par!

Astra couldn’t hear the response, but whatever it was, it only seemed to make Alex angrier.

 _“You had one job, Kessel!”_ The sharp clomp of boots as Alex paced was audible even in the corridor where Astra was making their way through. _“No, I don’t want to hear it. Find Astra,_ now. _Before Sameen finds out you lost them.”_

Kessel and Reinhart stumbled out of the bridge. Astra watched from behind a potted fake plant as Kessel-uncle took Reinhart-person by the shoulders.

“Alright, I’m guessing we’ve got about 15 minutes before the Cap tells Sameen that we lost their kid,” he started. “So, you take the left side of the ship, I’ll take the right, got it?”

Reinhart nodded their agreement furiously. Kessel took off in the other direction while Reinhart stood there for several moments. Their eyes examined the corridor before stopping at the plant that Astra was hiding behind. They walked over.

“Hm…” They mused, crouching down. “I wonder what could be behind this really tacky plant…”

Astra fought back giggles and said nothing. Reinhart-auncle was fooled by Lyra-aunt’s choice of foliage!

“Let’s see here…” Reinhart reached out and gently patted at the air. Astra broke out laughing when their hand rubbed up against their head-nubs. “Aha! Got you!”

Astra squealed as Reinhart picked them up. They squirmed as Reinhart scratched at their backplates.

“Looks like I caught a tiny Astra!” Reinhart chuckled. They ceased their scratching after a few moments, knowing that Astra didn’t like being tickled for more than several seconds. “Let’s get you to the Cap, yeah?”

 _‘See Alex-par!’_ Astra chimed, nuzzling into Reinhart.

Reinhart couldn’t stop the grin from rising. Astra had the entire ship wrapped around their forelimbs and didn’t even know it.

-

Alex was scowling at the map in front of her. She was waiting for either Kessel or Reinhart to inform if they had found Astra or not. They have 10 minutes left. Maybe she’d given the both of them too short a time frame. _Teach them to lose a kid._ Or not. She pinched the bridge of her nose.

“Captain?” Reinhart’s uncertain voice piped up from behind her.

“My kid better be in your arms, Reinhart.” Her tone brooked no argument.

 _‘Alex-par!’_ Astra’s chirped greeting echoed through everyone’s minds. The tiny Saurian was, after all, still too young to fully control who heard their telepathic communication. Almost as one, everyone on the bridge, save for Bob, turned to look at an incredibly nervous Korugarian. Alex’s shoulders slumped in relief.

She moved to take them from Kessel. “Hey, there doodlebug,” she muttered. Astra nuzzled into her.

 _‘Ok, Alex-par,’_ They said, trying to alleviate Alex’s worry.

“You have to stop doing this, okay?” she gently scolded. “You’re going to scare me into an early grave.”

-

This wasn’t the first time that Astra had managed to escape whoever was on caretaking duty, but it was the first time that a significant amount of time had passed before they were located. The _DEO_ wasn’t an incredibly large ship by any means. Her crew encountered much larger ships on a regular basis. But what she lacked in size, she more than made up for in places to hide. Alex’s biggest fear, aside from not making it home, was that Astra wouldn’t be found until it was too late should they end up lost aboard the _DEO_. Sameen often pointed out to Alex that the _kepesh-par_ bond she shared with Astra meant that, barring an extreme complication, she would be able to locate them.

-

Astra made a remorseful sounding noise. They hated it when Alex-par was worried. It made them feel anxious and more than a little said.

_‘No scare, Alex-par.’_

“I know kiddo,” Alex sighed. “Just...maybe cut down on the escape attempts for a bit?” _Especially since this sector’s been pretty rough the past few days._ The DEO had repelled four attacks over the last five days. They had been launched by small raiding parties, but something told Alex that they were just the opening salvo in a much bigger plot.

Reinhart coughed. “Um, Captain, does that mean Kessel and me are off the hook?” they asked.

Alex looked up from the tiny Saurian in her arms and fixed Reinhart with a glare. She took a small amount of satisfaction at the yelp it drew from them.

“Fuck, no.” She shifted Astra so that they could snuggle into her neck. Before she could say anything else, Kessel came stumbling back in, chest heaving.

“Cap, I searched the whole gods damned ship and I couldn’t still couldn’t find--” Kessel abruptly fell silent at the sight of a now-snoozing Astra in Alex’s arms. Her glare caught him full blast, drawing a very un-Boloxvian-like squeak from him. “Oh.”

Alex took a breath, mindful of all the people present on the bridge around her and the lightly snoring Saurian she was holding. She closed her eyes. _One-one thousand, two-one thousand…_ Would she be justified if she bit their combined heads off? Yes, yes she would. But she doubted the message would stick if she did that.

Alex opened her eyes. She fixed a quivering adolescent Korugarian and a fully grown Boloxvian with a look that would have melted durasteel. As it stood, both individuals flinched at the cold fire present in their Captain’s eyes.

“Let me make something very clear to the both of you,” she started. “When I or Sameen as one of you, _any of you,_ to look after Astra, we do so under the assumption that they will be looked after until either one of us can come retrieve them. We’re not just passing them off to you to avoid responsibility; we’re doing so because the areas where we work on the ship are not conductive to the safety of a budling.”

Alex’s voice was like ice. It was the tone voice that she had used during her regrettable date with Maxwell Lord. It was a sound that promised complete destruction at a future date, delivered with a happy smile and a serving of your own innards on a silver platter.

Kessel looked like he wanted to interrupt, but a sharp jab at his ribs from Reinhart silenced him as Alex continued.

“As Captain of the _DEO_ , I have an entire ship full of people to worry about. And as the chief engineer, Sameen is busy making sure that we all don’t die in a giant fiery ball of doom. When Sameen and I are on duty, either here on the bridge or our areas of specialty, the last thing either of us needs to be fretting about is Astra’s well being.” She paused and glanced around. “I assume everyone here understands this, right?”

Heads bobbed as various crew members vocalised their confirmation. Alex looked back to Kessel and Reinhart, both of whom looked extremely contrite.

“Neither one of you will be watching Astra in the near future.” The _‘I’m disappointed in the both of you,’_ went unsaid, but it was heard loud and clear nonetheless. Reinhart and Kessel hung their heads at her declaration. It would have made for a comical sight, were the situation not so serious. “Until further notice, you both will be working down in engineering with Sameen. It will be up to them to decide if, and when, you get to watch Astra again.”

Both heads dropped further at the announcement, but neither Kessel or Reinhart protested. They’d fucked up and they knew it. Kessel could hear practically hear his broodmother tearing him a new one for misplacing a child. Reinhart, for their part, was upset with themself. After all, they were supposed to have been keeping an eye on Astra and failed.

Silence reigned on the bridge. More than a few crew members were looking at Kessel and Reinhart with sympathy. It was true that Astra liked to and escape whoever was in charge of watching them. They did that with everyone. But none of them had actually ever lost the tiny budling. Losing the Captain’s adopted subunit wasn’t something that one easily came back from.

Alex let out a breath. She waved a free hand at the Korugarian and Boloxvian. “You’re both dismissed.” She looked down at Astra, who was still dozing. She shook her head. “What are we going to do with you?”

-

“Kessel and Reinhart informed me that you have assigned them to my command until further notice,” Sameen remarked as soon as they walked into Alex’s quarters. Astra was snoring away on Alex’s bed, surrounded by a mountain of pillows.

Alex looked up from her datapad. “I assume they told you why.”

“The guilt from them made it clear.”

“You think I’m overreacting.” It wasn’t a question. Some part of her knew that she had been more than a little harsh with them. But at that specific moment, the fear in her gut at the thought of something happening to Astra had driven her. It was response ingrained in her; the result of her years as Kara’s older sister.

“I do not.” A pause. “I believe that, had I been on the bridge when Kessel delivered the news that he misplaced Astra, I would have reacted the same as you did.” Or worse. Saurians were incredibly protective of their budlings, after all.

Alex sighed and put down the datapad. She looked out the window, watching stars slowly pass by.

“I am the Captain of this ship,” she said. “I am responsible for the safety and well-being of every person on this ship. We are light years away from Earth and out here, I have to remain objective. I can’t put one person’s live above another’s, regardless of what relationship we may share.” She took a breath. “At least, I’m supposed to be objective. When it comes to Astra...if anything were to happen to them, I would…” _Do anything._

Maybe it was a parent thing. Or maybe was because over the course of her life, her core programming had gone from, _‘Be the best,’_ to _‘Protect Kara, no matter what,’_ to _‘Protect the people I love, no matter what.’_ Alex’s time in the DEO had honed her into a weapon of protective destruction. Years of covert work and countless lies had blurred the lines she was willing to cross to keep the people she loved safe. Detain a man without a warrant because he’s threatening her sister? Easy. Become a fugitive to protect a man who had been a better father to her than her actual father was? Done. Try to strangle a snarky alien with a barstool after giving him a concussion because the woman she (unknowingly, at the time) loved was in danger? Piece of cake. Go rogue and take on racist, extremist organization without backup? Just another Tuesday.

“I believe the book that Lyra gave you, the one regarding how parenthood may affect an individual, had a chapter on how to properly react when one’s subunit is under threat, Captain,” Sameen said, trying to lighten the mood.

It worked. A smile appeared on Alex’s face. “I think I skipped that chapter, to be honest, Sameen,” she chuckled.

Before Sameen could say anything else, the ship lurched violently. Datapads went flying. Alex stumbled back and slammed into the window while Sameen was sent into the desk.

“Are you alright, Captain?”

Alex grunted and righted herself. “‘M fine.” She glanced over at the bed. “Astra?”

Both immediately looked over to the bed where Astra slept. They were relieved to see that the budling still lay relatively undisturbed, though the mountain of pillows that had been surrounding them was no more.

Lyra’s voice crackled over the comms. _“Bridge to Captain Danvers, are you there?”_

Alex slapped the comm console on her desk. “Danvers here, report,” she barked out.

_“Unknown vessel appears to have opened fire on us, Captain.”_

“Could they be any of our old ‘friends?’” she questioned.

_“Unknown at this time. Scanners are up and running. Requesting your return to the bridge as soon as possible, Captain.”_

“I’ll be right there.” She clicked the comms off and glanced at Sameen. “Stay here with Astra, I’ll send someone to guard this location.”

“We will be fine. Go.”

Alex grabbed her gun and her jacket and rushed from her quarters.

-

Alex’s boots pounded against the steel floors, sending loud echoes throughout the _DEO’s_ corridors. Various members of the crew plastered themselves against the corridor walls as Alex raced past them. Others hurried alongside her on their way to their respective duty stations. The first time the _DEO_ had come under attack, there had been panic. Now, everyone moved with a well-trained efficiency.

She broke off from the group and slid on to the bridge. “Status report,” she ordered.

Lyra handed her a datapad. “Results of the scans, Captain.”

Alex gave her a nod of thanks. She frowned as she looked it over. _That can’t be right._ She glanced back up at Lyra.

“Are we sure about these scans?”

Lyra nodded grimly. “Bob double checked,” she said. “Scans confirm that the ship matches the information Sameen provided regarding vessels commanded by the Katoh-Fel.”

“Fuck.” Sameen had shared their memories with Alex of just exactly what kind of treatment they endured at the hands of the loyalist forces. If she had thought Cadmus to be extreme, the Katoh-Fel were even more so. They were Saurian extremists who considered themselves to be loyalists to the deposed Saurian despot, Katoh. They were intent on “purifying” their species by any means necessary. Their sudden takeover of the Saurian homeworld of Soris-Vel was followed by a trail of devastation that culminated in an indiscriminate, system-wide campaign of genocide. Sameen was one of the few who managed to escape with their life.

“Do we have any idea where the Katoh-Fel vessel is now?” Alex demanded.

“No, they have some sort of cloaking device.” Lyra paused. She bit her lip nervously. “Captain, there are indications that the ship has been trailing us for some time now.”

 _Of course it had been_. “I take that to mean that the raids earlier in the week were them feeling us out?”

“That would be apt, Captain.”

Alex took a breath. “Do they know we have a Saurian onboard?” She needed to remain calm. She had two Saurians on board, one of whom had escaped the Katoh-Fel and the other who was just a child.

“I doubt they would have fired on us if they didn’t.” But that didn’t necessarily mean that they knew there was a Saurian budling on board.

Alex moved to the Captain’s Chair and sat down. She closed her eyes. Lyra was right. After all, the Katoh-Fel were known to hunt ships across systems if there was even a possibility that a Saurian was on board. They were determined to eliminate any Saurian they perceived to be “impure” for standing against Katoh or who managed to escape the purges. Sameen had done both.

She opened her eyes. “Can we outrun their ship?” she asked.

“Unlikely, Captain,” Bob spoke up. “Their initial volley contained disruptor rounds. Shields were able to stop most of it, but they’ve managed to knocks us offline in the process.” His fingers tapped away furiously at the console in front of him. “We’re not going anywhere soon.”

 _Goddammit_. She tapped the communication panel in her armrest. “Bridge to engineering.”

 _“Engineering here, Captain,”_ Reinhart’s voice crackled.

“How long until you can the systems restored?”

 _“We’re already working on it, Captain.”_ Alex could hear the tension in their voice. _“But we’re going to need some time to--”_

Whatever Reinhart was going to say was cut off by Bob’s panicked yelp of, “Katoh-Fel back on scanners and in range, Captain!”

“On screen!” Alex demanded.

Within seconds, a Katoh-Fel Cleansing Bird was in view. Alex had seen glimpses of a Cleansing Bird in Sameen’s memories before, but they did a poor job of preparing her for the actual sight. For a moment, she was reminded of the Narada from that Star Trek reboot film. It was an asymmetrical monstrosity that dwarfed the DEO several times over.

“Well, shit.” Alex wasn’t an easy person to intimidate. Her time in space had only bolstered her immunity to fear. Many unfortunate would-be pirates had picked the DEO, thinking they could scare her crew and Captain into submission, only to be met with guns, salvaged torpedoes, and Alex’s ruthless indifference. But the sight of the Cleansing Bird sent a shiver of fear down her spine. Every inch of the ship before her, if could even been called that, looked as though it had been designed both for maximum intimidation and destruction.

“Captain, they’re hailing us,” Lyra spoke up. She couldn’t keep the fear out of her voice.

Alex exhaled. “Put them through,” she ordered, working to keep her voice steady.

The face of a heavily scarred Saurian appeared before them. Their eyes were black with hate and disdain. Alex kept her expression neutral and did her best to appear unaffected by the sight in front of her.

 _“I am Salok, Overseer of the Katoh-Fel. You are harbouring an_ issala-bas _. I demand you hand it over for purification.”_

“I’m Alex Danvers, Captain of the Starship DEO,” she started. “And I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Salok sneered. _“Do not think me a fool,_ bas _,”_ they snarled. _“You will hand over the_ issala-bas!”

Alex scoffed. “You really don’t know how negotiation works, do you, pal?” she taunted. “Even if we did have a Saurian on board, which we don’t, there’s no way we would hand them over to you.”

Salok’s face twisted with rage. The scars marring their face only intensified the look. It was obvious that they weren’t used to their demands being refused.

“ _If you do not hand it over, then I will see your ship destroyed!”_ They thundered.

The crew exchanged unimpressed looks. Alex gave Salok a thin smile. _Wrong move_. It was never a good idea to threaten her crew. It was an even worse idea to threaten her ship. Do both, and you may as well have signed your own death warrant.

Alex leaned forward. “You obviously have no idea what it is we do,” she said. “So bring it.” She glanced at Bob. “Cut the channel.”

-

Alex let out a breath. “Alright, so I just entered us into a game of space chicken with a ship that’s armed to the teeth and looks to be the size of Delaware.” She glanced around. “Suggestions?”

“Kick their asses?” Jackson asked from his position at the weapons console.

Alex nodded. “Already planning on doing just that. Anything else?”

“Haul ass?” Lyra suggested.

“Kind of hard to do with everything offline, but great idea.” Movement on screen caught everyone’s attention. To their collective dismay, the Katoh-Fel Cleansing Bird appeared to be dispatching a shuttle. A shuttle that was the size of the DEO and headed for the hydroponics area of the ship.

“Jackson, please tell me weapons are online.”

Jackson typed furiously. He received a handful of sparks and a sputtering console for his trouble. He looked up.

“That would be a no, Captain.”

 _Fuck_. Alex tapped the communication console. “Bridge to engineering, you have ten minute to get everything back online. Reroute whatever power you can to get shields, weapons, and engines back up.” She pulled out her gun and checked it over. “Kessel, report to the hydroponics corridor, you’ll be with me.”

She paused and looked around the bridge. She was met with looks of determination. She nodded before readjusting the communication channel. “Attention crew, this is Captain Danvers speaking. Get to your battle stations if you haven’t already. We have a hostile shuttle inbound.”

Alex clicked the channel off. “Lyra, you have the bridge. Bob, keep an eye on our Katoh-Fel friends and be ready to punch it as soon as the systems are back up.”

“Roger, Captain,” both of them said.

She headed to the doors of the bridge. “Good luck, Captain,” Bob said.

Alex glanced over her shoulder. “I don’t need luck, I have ammo.” A thoughtful look. “And Kessel.”

-

Alex was met by the security team and Kessel when she arrived in hydroponics. A look of murder sat on the face of a normally jovial Boloxvian.

“The boys briefed me, Captain,” he said in place of a greeting. “I assume that this Overseer and fellow ilk are about to be taught a very painful lesson?”

She gave him a look. “Do you really even have to ask?”

Kessel shrugged. “It’s always good to have confirmation.”

“Fair enough.”

 _“Bridge to hydroponics,”_ Alex’s personal comm crackled.

Alex tapped the badge that housed the mini-radio. “We read you down here.”

_“30 seconds to breach, Captain. Looks like the Overseer’s on the shuttle.”_

“Noted, Bridge. Prepare to lock down the ship.”

 _“Roger that.”_ A beat. _“Good luck everyone.”_

Helmets went on as soon as the line went dead. “Don’t forget to activate your mag-boots people.” Alex reminded. “Vacuum’s gonna last for a few seconds before the Bridge can lock us down.”

They all traded vicious grins. They took their positions along the wall. The rustling of readied weapons and hiss of helmets sealing were joined by the almost inaudible hum of mag-boots activating. Alex closed her eyes, centering herself. They had one shot to get this right. The ability of the _DEO_ to protect her crew and turn the tide in this skirmish would be completely dependant on how well Alex, Kessel, and the security squad responded to the initial incursion.

 _One-one thousand. Two-one thousand. Three-one thousand._ Her grip tightened on her gun. Then the world shifted.

-

If you were to ask Alex later on, she would tell you that if there was one thing the movies got wrong about space, it was the explosions. They were always made out to be these loud, dramatic fiery balls of doom. In reality, the initial explosion was much quieter and much less dramatic. Or at least, that’s what it seemed liked.

Time seemed to slow down the moment that the Katoh-Fel breached the hull. In stepped various Saurians, with Salok at their head. Various looks of fury and hatred were on their faces. Then the vacuum of space kicked in.

In space, no one could hear you scream, but Alex liked to imagine that should could hear the screams of the Katoh-Fel as they were sucked out into the blackness of the cosmos. The sudden onslaught of a differential pressure change destabilised the remaining Katoh-Fel and made them prime pickings for the various potted fake plants that dotted the corridor. _Now I realise why Lyra insists on having those things_. A large metal crate came flying down the hallway, drawing a heavily muffled yelp from Belen. It promptly smacked into three Katoh-Fel who, up until that point, were doing an admirable job to trying to board. They too joined their fellows in space.

 _“Crate shot!”_ Kessel crowed through his helmet comm.

Alex smirked at blatant pun. It wasn't his worst, to be honest.

A loud hum shook through the DEO. Half a moment later, the emergency seals kicked in and slammed down on the breach. One unfortunate Katoh-Fel found themselves bifurcated as three tonnes of reinforced steel came slamming down. Alex and her squad shared a wince. That had to hurt.

The Katoh-Fel struggled to regain their footing now that the air was no longer howling around them. In the time it took them to adjust and properly, Alex and the others had already disengaged their mag-boots and aimed. The remaining Katoh-Fel and Salok looked up to see various weapons trained on them.

Alex grinned savagely behind her helmet. “Welcome to the _DEO_ ,” she said.

She opened fire. Kessel let out a roar and followed suit. The others joined in shortly after. Two Katoh-Fel hit the ground, bodies riddled with plasma, metal fletchets (courtesy of Kessel), and lead. Salok and their squad stumbled back, snarling. They scrambled to pull up their personal shields as Alex and her squad unloaded on them. They managed to get off a few shots in return, but it was nothing compared to the fire they were taking.

 _“Motherfucker!”_ Belen snarled when she saw the personal shields go up. They weren't a common occurrence because the technology involved was so costly. But when they did show up, it was cause for a massive headache as it make a simple shooting job ten times harder. _“Captain!”_

 _“Yeah, I noticed!”_ Alex fired back. She activated an experimental plasma shield and slammed it into the deck. A large orange barrier quickly materialised. _“Belen, get to Sameen and Astra! The rest of you, split off and pull back! We can flank them in the galley!”_

The squad voiced their agreement. _“Try not to die, Captain!”_ Belen called as she and the others moved back.

At the same time, Kessel decided to pop up from behind the shield and toss one of his “fun makers.” The concussive blast sent the Katoh-Fel flying back.

 _“Haha! Crack shot!”_ Kessel whooped. He followed up the explosion with several blasts from his heavily modified rifle.

Salok let out a roar as they were hit by a blast.

Kessel and Alex exchanged looks. _“Think they're mad?”_ He asked.

An inhuman roar was their answer. Before they could react, Salok came smashing through the barrier. Salok’s personal shield fizzled out when they made contact with the orange barrier but the damage was done. The force of the collision sent Alex and Kessel flying.

Kessel smacked into the wall, leaving a large crater behind as he slid to the floor. Alex hit the ground with a groan. _Thank god for body armor._ She rolled back onto her feet just in time to see Salok standing over her. Before she could move away from them, they grabbed her by her neck and lifted her. She felt the beginnings of a mental intrusion and immediately walled her mind off.

“How curious that you insist on resisting a superior power,” they mused. “It is obvious that the _issala-bas_ has defiled all of you. I will put you of your misery and cleanse the filth that has taken refuge on this vessel.”

Alex choked and spluttered. Her legs kicked furiously as she struggled in their grip. Salok let out a low, menacing chuckle.

“Your display of struggle is pathetic, bas. You can’t even even speak.” Alex snarled as best she could with a hand gripping her windpipe. They leaned in. “What was that?”

Unnoticed by Salok, Alex had managed to get her hands on the knife worn on their sash. She glared at them defiantly as her grip tightened around the knife.

 _“Fuck. Off,”_ she ground out.

Alex ripped the knife from Salok’s sash and slammed it into their arm. Salok dropped her, howling in pain and rage. Her knees hit the deck. She doubled over, coughing and gasping for air as the life support system’s of her suit kicked into overdrive. Salok continued to roar as their hand scrabbled to remove the knife from their arm. They weren’t very successful in their endeavour.

She looked past them to see Kessel slowly rousing himself. He noticed a raging Salok and caught Alex’s eyes. He weakly nodded his head, motioning for her to get going. Alex scrambled to her feet while Salok was still distracted, leaving them with Kessel. Even semi-conscious, the Boloxvian would prove to be a difficult opponent for the Overseer.

_Better not die on me, asshole._

-

Belen entered Alex’s quarters and immediately slammed her gauntleted fist onto the wall panel. The doors hissed shut behind her. She pulled off her helmet and looked up to see Sameen holding a still-sleeping Astra in their arms. She let out a breath of relief.

“Oh, good, you and the kid are okay,” she said.

“We are fine, Belen.” Sameen frowned. “What is going on? Where is the Captain?”

“Long story short, Katoh-Fel, dunno if I’m saying that right, found the ship and want to blow us all to bits,” Belen replied, distracted. “Cap’s fighting some Overseer dude, Sauron, Salok, Sa-somthing--”

“Overseer?” A feeling a dread settled in Sameen’s gut. “Salok?”

“Huh?” Belen glanced at them. “Uh, yeah. Yeah, that sounds right.” She frowned. “Everything alright, Sameen?”

Sameen said nothing. Instead, they handed Astra over to Belen and moved her so that her back was against the wall.

“Uh, Sameen? Mind cluing me in here?”

“I must aid the Captain.” They moved towards the door. “You will remain here with Astra.”

“What? No!” Belen protested. “Cap sent me to keep the two of you safe! She’ll have my hide if either one of you gets hurt!”

Before she could react, Sameen was suddenly in front of her. They placed a clawed hand on her face. Moments later, Belen slumped against the wall, unconscious, with Astra still in her arms.

Sameen trilled remorsefully. It wasn’t something they enjoyed doing, but in this case, it was necessary. If Salok was indeed aboard, then there wasn’t any time to waste. But they couldn’t leave Astra unprotected. Leaving them with Belen wasn’t ideal, but it would have to do.

Sameen moved to leave. They cast a glance of their shoulder. Ancestors willing, they would return to their budling. But something told them that that wouldn’t be the case. They placed their hand on the door panel and input the security code. It would shut the door behind them and seal the quarters off to anyone except Alex or Lyra. Hopefully it would be enough.

-

Alex bolted down the DEO’s corridors. Not for the first time did she curse the size of the freighter she’d been stranded on. She angrily blew a strand of hair out of face as she rounded another corner. She had long since abandoned her helmet, having used it to brain a Katoh-Fel agent who’d been unfortunate enough to stand in her way. Crashing noises echoed behind her. _Well, looks like Salok’s back._ She picked up the pace. She had to get back to her quarters.

Alex turned right and slammed into someone. She looked up to see a Saurian looming over her. She pulled her fist back, ready to strike, only to stop at the last minute when she realised just exactly who was standing before her.

“Sameen?” What are they doing here? Her heart dropped. Did Belen not make it?

“Belen is fine Captain. I came to assist you,” Sameen informed her calmly.

Alex shook her head vehemently. “Sameen, these Saurians, they’re Katoh-Fel,” she explained. “The Overseer is right on my tail. You need to get going!” She checked over her gun. It was back at full charge. “I can buy you some time, so go!”

Sameen simply walked past Alex. “Sameen!” She protested.

“I will be fine, Captain,” they said curtly. “It would be best if you fell back.”

“They’re here to kill _you_!” Alex stressed. “You need to go!”

“No.” Salok was approaching. It was time to stop this madness. The Katoh-Fel wouldn’t take another of their family away.

“Sameen!”

Salok appeared before Alex could do anything else. The scarred Saurian’s chest heaved with exertion and anger. They had seen better days. Their armor was missing entire chunks. Blood was dripping from a vicious cut above their eye. Alex could see their tunic slowly, but steadily, turning a dark green; the result of a stab wound that found its way past their chest plate.

“These _bas_ have proven most troublesome. I was beginning to believe that I would have to cut my way through this ship,” they rumbled. “But then the Ancestors saw fit to deliver the _issala-bas_ to me so that it may be purified, as an act of providence!”

Alex snarled and stepped forward, gun at the ready. “Like hell, asshole!” The Overseer and the Katoh-Fel would take Sameen over her cold, dead body. And even then her corpse might still put up a fight.

Sameen raised her hand to stop Alex. “Enough.” They turned fully to address Salok. “Cease, now.”

Salok scoffed. “The _issala-bas_ dares address me? It is not worthy enough to do so!” They thundered. “It is filth that must be purified and the things it defiled, purged!”

“Your people have perished. You are all that remains. You cannot hope for victory.”

“The fire of Katoh still burns aboard our Cleansing Bird! It shall purge this tarnished space!”

Alex and Sameen’s ears twitched. The halls of the DEO hummed. It’s about time. A slow smirk spread across her lips.

“Are you sure about that?” she spoke up, catching Salok’s attention.

“The Cleansing Bird will destroy your ship.”

“Uh huh.” Alex tapped her comm badge. “Danvers to Bridge.”

 _“Bridge here,”_ Lyra’s voice crackled through. _“Standing by for your command, Captain.”_

Alex glared defiantly at the Overseer. “Jackson, fire!”

The _DEO_ lurched as she fired off modified disruptor torpedoes.

“And just what do you think that will do, _bas_?” Salok demanded. “Your weapons will be unable to sully the Cleansing Bird?”

“They will if they hit that spot just under the bridge.” Alex’s smirk spread. She knew, from Sameen’s memories, that that spot was semi-exposed due to a design flaw shared by all Katoh-Fel Cleansing Birds. Judging by how Salok’s eyes widened in horror, that weakness was still there.

Jackson’s voice echoed over the intercom. _“Attention, crew of the_ DEO _, prepare for an imminent proximity detonation!”_

“Bob, punch it!”

The three of them stumbled forward as the _DEO’s_ warp drive kicked back online. Salok shouted their outrage.

“You filthy _vashedan-bas_!” They howled.

Alex’s smirk turned into a cheeky grin that her sister would have been proud to see. “Don’t get too upset over this, Overseer, this clusterfuck’s entirely on you.”

“I will strike you down for your insolence!”

Sameen took a step towards them. They could see the madness slowly filling Salok’s eyes. Saurians were dangerous enough opponents while sane. Facing one that had been driven to madness and fueled by an unquenchable rage could easily spell disaster.

“You are welcome to try.”

-

A haze of red clouded Salok’s vision. _How dare they_. How dare these _bas_ stand in their way!  How dare they resist their noble attempts to purify the _issala-bas_! Did they not know what they were harbouring? It was filthy. It was disgusting. It didn’t deserve to exist. It had to be purified. It had to be.

 _Destroy it. Destroy it. Destroy it!_ The only way to purify such a corrupted thing was to destroy it. Katoh’s mercy would see it reborn into a loyal member of the Katoh-Fel. It would be worthy of being a Saurian. But it had to die.

Blood pounded against their ears. The destruction of the _issala-bas_ and the _bas_ that harboured it were the only things their mind. _The Ancestors delivered it to me. I will see it gone._ Suddenly, they caught a glimpse from the mind of the _bas_. The _bas_ was holding a budling.

Inhuman snarls left Salok’s mouth. The _issala-bas_ had managed to produce a budling! It was spreading its corruption! This could not stand. It was their duty as an Overseer of the Katoh-Fel to purge all _issala-bas_.

Salok let out a bullish roar. They would kill the _issala-bas_ , the _bas_ that harboured it, and its perverted budling. Then, and only then, could this space be considered cleansed.

They charged forward, death and destruction all the remained inside of their mind.

_Destroy and purify!_

-

Alex took a step back at the noise that came out of Salok’s mouth. It was unlike anything she’d ever heard before. It was a sound of utter madness that promised nothing but destruction. She lifted her gun, ready to fire, but was pushed back by Sameen. She could only stare in disbelief as they intercepted the Overseer with a snarl of their own.

Sameen had caught the tail end of Salok’s thoughts, or at least, what remained of them anyhow. Fury filled them. The Katoh-Fel had taken everything from them: their family, their homeworld, their people. They would not take anymore.

They caught Salok and slammed them into the deck. The force behind their throw left a dent in the steel floor. Sameen caught their punch. They retaliated with one of their own before taking an arm to the gut. They went crashing into the wall.

Alex’s gun was trained on the two brawling Saurians. The speed of a fight rarely proved to be a problem for her. She had fought Kryptonians, Martians, and extremely athletic humans with little trouble. But the speed and intensity at which Sameen and Salok clashed at was enough to put all three groups to shame.

Sameen rolled to their feed and narrowly dodged a swipe from Salok’s knife. When Salok had pulled it out, they didn’t know. What they did know was that it left a large gash in the wall, and if it could do that, it would go through their plates with ease.

Sameen, despite being unarmed, had a slight advantage in this fight. Salok was worn down from having had to fight their way through Alex, Kessel, and other crewmen of the DEO. Sameen, on the other hand, was relatively fresh. Salok was driven by madness and rage at this point. Sameen was fueled by their own anger and an intense need to protect their found family and budling. Neither was willing to back down. The Overseer was past the point of being able to be talked down. Sameen had no intention of allowing the Saurian before them to pass. This would end when either one, or both, of them lay dead on the floors of the _DEO_.

Salok thundered out their fury as Sameen avoided yet another blow. This would not stand. Though their sanity was waning, they had enough remaining to know that this fight had to end soon.

Sameen could see Salok lagging. _There_! They made their move. They lunged. It proved to be a mistake.

Alex could only watch as Sameen lunged. She saw them stop short and stiffen suddenly. Her eyes widened with horror when wet cough broke from Sameen.

Salok’s knife buried itself deep into Sameen’s chest plates. They had misjudged the knife’s position had paid dearly for it. They coughed wetly. Despite the knife in their chest, they managed to meet Salok’s mad, hate-filled gaze head on.

The madness that had taken over began to recede once Salok realised that the _issala-bas_ stood dying before them. A twisted smile spread slowly across their face. They lifted their head to the ceiling, taking their eyes off the issala-bas as they began to chuckle. That proved to be Salok’s undoing.

With what little strength they had left, Sameen shoved their hand through Salok’s chest plates. The laughter abruptly stopped. Salok’s fingers scrabbled at Sameen’s arm, but they weren’t to be deterred.

“Y-your kind…” Sameen rasped out. “Will never...touch my people...or my family again.”

Slowly, their hand inched deeper and deeper until their claws poked through the soft spot on Salok’s back plates.

-

 _Not possible. Not possible._ Salok could think of little else. How could an a filthy _issala-bas_ kill them? They were an Overseer of the Katoh-Fel. They were pure. They were true Saurian. It simply wasn’t possible.

-

And yet, it was. Salok let out a choked noise the moment Sameen’s claws shredded through their heart. Then, the madness and hate faded from their eyes. In its place was blankness. Salok’s chest did not rise. It did not fall. It simply went still.

Sameen eyes burned with defiance. The Overseer was dead. The ship was safe and her crew were safe. Astra was safe. It was done. They felt their knees weaken.

-

Alex rushed to Sameen. She managed to catch them before they hit the ground. She kicked Salok’s body aside. _Why wasn’t I faster?_ She pushed her anger aside. This wasn’t the time for it. Sameen was her priority right now.

“I-I believe that...I may have e-errored, Captain,” they coughed out.

“Yeah, no kidding.” The knife had gone in deep. She couldn’t recognise the material it was made out of, but it was obvious that it was designed to specifically for Saurian physiology. She pressed her ear against against their chest plate. Nothing. Shit. The lung had collapsed and Sameen’s chest cavity was filling with blood as a result.

“H-How bad, Captain?”

Alex bit her lip. Sameen’s chest was filling with blood. She didn’t have the equipment on hand to relieve the build up and they were two decks down from the medbay. On top that, the knife was still in Sameen. If Alex took it out, Sameen would bleed out. But if it stayed in, every jerk of their chest as they gasped for air caused it to slip around and do more damage.

“It...it could be worse.” But not by much. She tapped her comm badge. “Danvers to medbay.”

 _“Medbay here,”_ Zar’ya responded. _“Where are you, Captain?”_

“I’m two decks down with Sameen. They’ve sustained a severe stab wound to the upper left quadrant, and as a result are suffering from a hemo-pneumothorax.” The language of medicine was familiar to Alex. It kept her grounded and objective. “I need a medical team to our location. I don’t have the equipment to treat this and if it isn’t resolved soon they’re…” Her voice caught.

“Understood, Captain. A medical team will be down in five. Zar’ya out.”

Alex looked down to Sameen. They didn't have five minutes. They were losing a worrying amount of blood. She had to do something.

She shrugged off her jacket and tore at her shirt. She packed it around the knife and its resulting wound. She moved quickly, hoping it would be enough to staunch the worst of the bleeding and keep the knife from shifting any further. _It’s not enough. I need gauze. I need a chest tube. I need to stop the bleeding. I need--_

“Y-you must not worry, Captain,” Sameen rasped out. “They…they will be here soon.”

Not soon enough. Sameen was starting to lose colour, greying out the skin under their pates even more. They’re losing too much blood, too fast.

Sameen, for all the strength they were still trying to show, seemed to know their odds. They had known them the moment they stepped out of Alex’s quarters. They closed their eyes.

“No no no, keep you eyes open!” Years of treating severely wounded and dying agents in the field had taught Alex that eyes had to stay open. _Keep the patient awake and responsive until backup arrives._

“I was...I was merely resting them, Captain,” Sameen protested tiredly.

“You can rest them later,” Alex fired back. “Just keep them open until you get to the medbay!”

Sameen mustered a weak smile. “I believe...we know that the s-seconds,” they coughed harshly. “The passing seconds make that...unlikely.” Zar’ya had said five minutes, but five minutes was an eternity to they dying. Despite their earlier reassurances to Alex, they knew it was time they didn’t have.

Sameen took a deep breath, despite the pain that it caused. “I must ask something of you.”

“Ask me later,” Alex said. “Right now, just focus on keeping your strength up, alright?”

This couldn’t wait. “A-Astra. You are their _kepesh-par--_ ”

“I know, Sameen, I have been for the last year, stop talking!” Alex pressed her hands down harder around the wound. The doctor in her knew it was futile, but she had to at least keep trying.

Sameen ignored her. They kept talking. “Look after them, please. You--” Their body lurched as harsh coughs wracked through them. “You are their family now.”

 _Now?_ “Sameen--”

“P-promise me, Captain, please,” they pleaded. “Look after them.”

“You need to stop talking and--” Alex wasn’t going to talk about this, not now. She was Alex fucking Danvers. The medical team was going to show up any moment now and she was going to get Sameen to the medbay, alive, no matter what the doctor in her was saying.

Sameen gripped Alex’s arm to draw her attention to them. _“Promise me.”_

Tears that had gathered in her eyes with her notice finally started to fall. “I promise,” she said. She angrily wiped her eyes. Where was the goddamn medical team?

Sameen gave a quiet sigh of relief. Their grip weakened. They were so tired. They didn’t want to leave. The crew of the DEO was their family. But they had no say in the matter. The Ancestors had decided some time ago that they wished for Sameen to join them.

Alex felt Sameen’s grip loosen. She moved one of her hands to grip theirs. “Stay with me, Sameen, that’s an order!” she demanded.

Sameen tried. They could hear the urgency in Alex’s voice and felt her panic. But they were just so tired. Their head lolled to the side. A soft breath left their mouth. And then, nothing. No rising chest. No pained cough. Just, nothing.

“Sameen?” Alex reached out and gently shook their body. No response. “Oh.” _Why did I think I was going to get one?_ She bowed her head. Her body shook with silent sobs.

-

The loud pounding of boots signaled the arrival of the medical team. Zar’ya was at their head. They all stopped suddenly at the sight of their Captain on her knees, head bowed.

Zar’ya stepped forward cautiously. She took in the scene before her. The body of a dead Saurian lay in the distance. _That must have been the leader. Good riddance._ Her eyes landed on Alex. She was kneeling next to Sameen, tears quietly making their way down her face. For a moment, the image threw Zar’ya. Alex, after all, rarely shed tears. The only time she did was when a member of the crew… _died_.

Zar’ya signaled for the rest of the team to stay where they were. She quietly approached Alex. Every step she took echoed down the corridor. She stopped behind Alex. Her heart clenched. Sameen looked so peaceful. The final calm expression on their face contrasted to the knife in their chest and the destruction around them.

She reached out and placed her hand on Alex’s shoulder. “Captain?” Aside from a flinch, there was no other reaction. “Captain, we’ll take it from here. You should go check on Astra.”

Alex’s head lifted. “Astra.” She pushed herself to her feet. “Right. I...I have to go and…” She glanced back down at Sameen.

“We have Sameen, Captain,” Zar’ya reassured her. “Go.”

Alex stood still for several moments before stumbling off in the direction of her quarters.

Zar’ya looked down at Sameen once Alex was out of sight. She sighed. She signaled for her team. _I hate this part of the job._

-

Alex made her way back to her quarters in a daze. She was angry. If Sameen hadn’t come for her, they would still be alive. She could have taken the Overseer by herself. She had killed a Hellgramite barehanded, after all.

She removed her comm badge as she approached the door. She pressed it into a small, barely noticeable indent just above eye height. It whined as the security system ran the override codes. Moments later, a loud beep echoed in the abandoned corridor and the door hissed open.

Alex stepped into her quarters. Her eyes did a quick sweep of the area. Datapads were still scattered about, though a few had been pushed off to the side. She froze. Astra was nowhere in sight.

 _Alright, stay calm, Danvers._ The door had been locked with a security code that could only be implemented by either herself or Sameen, and only if Astra was Alex’s quarters. Sameen had been the one to use it, which meant that Astra was still here. They had to be alive, as hydraulic doors were untouched by the Katoh-Fel because none of them were able to make it this far.

She looked around. She caught a glimpse of Belen slumped behind her desk, holding a bundle of something in her arms. Her stomach clenched. _Shit_. Alex knelt down next to the Thanagarian. A quick examination made clear that she was just unconscious, not dead. She continued to check Belen over and found that the bundle was a still-sleeping Astra.

Belen stirred. “Mmph…gods what hit me?” she asked groggily. She remembered Sameen handing Astra over to her and then nothing. Wait. “Shit. Sameen!”

She bolted to her feet, nearly bowling Alex over. It was Alex’s quick reaction that kept the Thanagarian from tripping over herself and dropping Astra in the process.

“Captain!” How long had she been out for? “Sameen walked out and--”

Alex cut her off. “I know.”

Belen’s eyes finally caught up to her mouth. For the first time since she’d been roused from her sleep did she notice just how filthy the human was. Alex was sporting a split lip. Bruises, in the shape of a hand, were slowly forming on her neck. It was the green blood covering her that ultimately drew Belen’s full attention. Alex’s hands were a dripping green. Her shirt was torn, but also showed signs of green. Belen’s heart dropped.

“I,” Belen started. “Are they…?” She didn’t know how to else ask. She, like many others on the ship, had found the Saurian to be incredibly intimidating at first glance. But as she got to know them, she found that they had hearts of gold. She and Sameen had grown closer in the year since their budding and Astra’s entrance into space. The two never got further than close friends. And now, they never would. Now, Sameen was gone. _Why didn’t I say something sooner?_

Alex said nothing. Instead, she reached out and quietly took Astra into her arms. She pressed her nose against their fringe and closed her eyes.

“Oh.” Belen looked down. It felt like she had just been punched in the gut. “Oh.”

“They’re in the medbay,” Alex said quietly. “If, if you want to say goodbye. Before everyone else gets there.”

“Yeah, yeah, of course.” The ship’s scuttlebutt meant that it wouldn’t be long before news of Sameen’s death reached the rest of the crew. She moved to leave.

“Belen.”

Belen stopped to glance at Alex. “Captain?” She worked to keep her voice steady.

“They knew.”

Belen choked back a sob at Alex’s words. The _kepesh-par_ bond that she shared with Sameen meant that she and they shared much. If Alex was telling her that Sameen knew, it meant that they also returned Belen’s affections.

“Thank you, Captain.” Belen hurried out of Alex’s quarters, leaving the bloodied agent alone.

-

Alex sat on the edge of her bed with Astra in her arms. She looked down at the tiny Saurian. She felt numb. Another member of her crew was dead on her watch. A part of Alex sorely craved a bottle or three of Caledonian ale. Only the snoring buddling in her arms stayed her hand. _They don’t need a drunk for a parent._

Astra made a chuffling noise. They stirred. Alex stiffed as their eyes opened.

 _‘’Lo, Alex-par,’_ they greeted sleepily.

“Hey, doodlebug,” Alex murmured. She fought to keep her voice steady.

Astra looked around. Something felt off. _‘Where bud-par?’_

Ice settled low in Alex’s stomach. How was she going to explain this?

 _‘Alex-par?’_ Astra could feel the indecision making its way through Alex. What was she holding back? _‘Where bud-par?’_

“They, uh…” Her throat suddenly felt much to dry. She had delivered numerous death notices over the years without issue. More often than not, it ended with a sobbing spouse or parent and Alex sitting stiffly as J’onn reiterated just how sorry he was for their loss. Now, she couldn’t bring herself to say the words. But she had to. The longer she kept Astra in the dark, the more it would hurt later one. The _kepesh-par_ bond meant they would find out anyway, and Alex preferred that they hear it from her.

Alex cleared her throat. She took a breath. “You remember how your bud-par told you Samar and what happened with them?”

_‘Samar gone.’_

“Yeah, kiddo. Samar’s gone.” According to Sameen, Samar had given their live trying to protect them from Cadmus. “And a little bit ago some bad people decided to try and attack the _DEO_.”

No one on the _DEO_ had hidden the fact that the ship often came under attack from Astra. There wasn’t any point in doing so.

 _‘Alex-par and bud-par win?’_ So far Astra knew, Alex and the others always managed to beat the aggressive forces that were foolish enough to attack.

Alex choked back a sob at how innocent Astra’s question was. “Yeah,” she confirmed. “We won, doodlebug, but…” She trailed off.

-

_She and Kara are standing at the top of the stairs. The same men that came the night Kara took her out to fly now sit in the living room with their mother. The black man, Hank, she later learns, is saying something. What it is, Alex can’t tell, but it causes Kara to gasp. Alex absently shushes her. She doesn’t want to get caught._

_Alex watches as her mother begins to sob. Next to her, Kara is stifling her own cries. The black man reaches out and takes her mother’s hands. She can just make out,_ “I’m so sorry, Dr. Danvers.” _Alex frowns._ Sorry for what?

_The man and his fellows get up and leave. Not a single one of them glance up at the stairs where one girl stands frowning, and another quietly sheds tears. At click of the front door shutting, her mother folds in on herself. Her sobs echo throughout the house._

_Hours later, Eliza informs Alex and Kara that Jeremiah is dead. That night, Alex sneaks out of the house and goes to the beach. She screams her rage out at the ocean. Eventually she falls to her knees. She pounds her fist into the sand as she curses a god that won’t answer for daring to take her father from her. She weeps. The ocean spray mixes with her tears. She weeps harder._

-

Alex exhaled harshly. “Your bud-par, Sameen, they didn’t make it, doodlebug. They’re gone.”

 _‘Gone?’_ Astra didn’t understand. What did Alex mean by ‘gone?’

“They’re gone like Samar is, Astra.” A lump caught in her throat. “They’re dead.”

Astra finally understood just exactly what Alex was saying. They made a noise of distress. It turned into a low keen before becoming high-pitched, broken cries.

Alex wasn’t fairing much better. The walls that she tried so desperately to raise came crashing down as Astra’s sorrow flooded the bond. Tears slid down her cheeks as she wept. Her quarters were filled with sounds of grief as human and Saurian mourned the loss of a close friend and parent, respectively.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed it. Part 4's currently in the works, but with school starting up, it'll be a while before it's posted. If you have any prompt ideas, come drop by my tumblr @sandstonesunspear and let me know.


	7. The Budling, Part 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Or alternatively known as: the fourth, and final, part of the obligatory accidental baby acquisition fic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I pulled a little bit of dialogue from a blurb from @ressick. Check them out on tumblr. Also, Adrian's not mine. I'm just borrowing him from @queercapwriting. 
> 
> The Chronicles of the Starship DEO will continue as I think of prompts, prompts get throw in the comments or at my tumblr, or I find them in the Space Pirate Alex tag on tumblr. Hope you all enjoy this.

The Budling, Part 4

Or alternatively known as: The fourth, and final, part of that obligatory accidental baby acquisition fic

5 Years Later…

-

Alex and her crew had encountered countless planets during their seven-year voyage across space. Garden worlds that looked wonderfully tempting until scans came back and revealed just what kind of death trap they were. Gas giants whose inhabitants made up for a lack of usable real estate with exquisite space stations. Asteroid belts that hid nomadic flotillas. And yet, none of those compared to the sight before them. Earth. They were finally home.

Or at least, almost home.

Alex stood on the bridge staring out the viewscreen. For once, the bridge was silent, aside from the hum of the _DEO_ and the occasional beep of a console. Everyone quietly worked away, but the usual focus that her crew possessed was nowhere to be found. Alex couldn’t find it in herself to be mad. She understood. Seven years, they had traveled across the stars. Seven years of fighting, of dying. Now, it was almost over.

“ETA to Earth, two hours, Captain,” Bob spoke up. His voice was soft. He quietly thanked the twin gods of Romulus that Alex had seen fit to choose him as her helmsman. It meant that he had one of the best views on the ship of the approaching planet.

Alex nodded. She reached behind herself and accessed the communications console. “Attention, crew of the _DEO_ , we’re officially two hours out from Earth.” The words sounded surreal outloud. “Prepare yourselves accordingly. Repeat, ETA to Earth is two hours.” A pause. “We’re almost home, everyone. Danvers out.”

She took a breath. She pulled up her phone and accessed codes that she had waited seven years to use.

“Reinhart?”

They were by her side in an instant. “Yes, Captain?”

“Open hailing frequencies and begin broadcasting.” She handed them her phone. “Use those to narrow the band. We need the DEO to know we’re finally back.”

“Understood, Captain.” Reinhart carefully took the phone from her, knowing just how important it was. “I’ll begin right away.”

Alex nodded. “Good.” She looked around and took stock of her crew. “I’m going to pick up Astra. If anyone needs me from here until our arrival, ping my comm badge.”

Various crew members voiced their acknowledgement. No one was going to protest Alex stepping away from the bridge. In the years since Sameen’s death, Alex had developed into a doting parent.

-

Astra was looking into a microscope, a little frown etched firmly on their face when Alex walked into the medbay. Both they and Zar’ya, who was standing behind them, looked up when the doors hissed open. Astra’s eyes lit up at the sight of their par.

“Alex-par!” Astra leapt off the stood and ran to her. They grabbed her hand and tugged her over to the microscope.

Alex laughed. “Good to see you too, doodlebug,” she said. “Hey, Zar’ya.”

Zar’ya tipped her head in greeting. She smiled at the sight of Alex being dragged by their adopted child.

Astra gently shoved Alex to the scope. “Alex-par, look!”

Alex gave Astra an amused smile, but complied. Her smile vanished moments later.

“Hey doodlebug, just what exactly am I looking at here?”

Astra bounced excitedly. “Zar’ya called it ye-selena pes-to!” They announced proudly.

 _Yeselena pesto?_ That didn’t sound like any disease she’d ever heard of. She focused the microscope again. She frowned. Wait. Alex pulled her eyes away from the microscope. She turned to give Zar’ya a look of disbelief.

“You have my kid looking at _plague_ ?!” _Where did she even get a sample?_ Alex didn’t know which part she had to worry about more: the fact that Astra was looking at plague, or the fact that, somehow, Zar’ya had managed to get her hands on a sample while in _space_.

Zar’ya laughed. “It’s only a microscopic model, Captain,” she assured. “Besides, there are far worse diseases on Earth.”

Alex pinched the bridge of her nose. “Why would you think that showing a child a model, even a microscopic model, of a disease responsible for wiping out large swaths of humankind was a good idea?”

Zar’ya shrugged. “I thought it would be best to prepare Astra for Earth-illnesses.” She looked down at Astra, who grinned in response.

Alex fought the urge to faceplam. _Of all the…_ She had to admit that it wasn’t the _worst_ idea anyone on the ship ever had, especially when one took the _DEO’s_ tract record into account. The situations that faced a space pirate meant that Alex was very open minded about Astra’s education. Over the years, the Saurian had been taught basic first aid (courtesy of Alex and Zar’ya), stellar navigation (courtesy of Bob), various languages (thanks to Reinhart’s constant code switching), and how to fight (courtesy of the crew at large, and something that Alex had agonised over for months). Why shouldn’t rare infectious diseases be a part of that education?

“Just…maybe a head’s up next time, yeah?” Alex let out a breath. “That way we don’t incite panic by having microscopic models of deadly diseases because everyone thinks it’s the real thing?”

“I will make a note.” A beat. “You realise that your request is unnecessary, given that we’re approaching Earth, right?”

“It’ll cut down on future paperwork.” Was Alex’s simple reply.

 _Ah_. Zar’ya nodded. “Fair enough.” She’d forgotten about the paperwork that would most likely be awaiting all of them when the ship finally touched down.

“Come on, bug, time for you to clean your plates,” Alex said.

Astra huffed. “Clean already, Alex-par!” they protested. They’d taken a bath the night before.

Alex sighed. Astra’s opposition to baths was a recent thing. No one had any idea where it had come from. She took their hand and gently led them out of the medbay. “You smell, bug,” she teased.

Zar’ya shook her head in amusement. She, like the rest of the crew, was well-aware of Astra’s recent distaste for getting clean. She heard Astra trying to negotiate with Astra and smiled as the doors closed behind them.

-

“Head plates only, Alex-par!”

Alex shook her head. “Nope, all your plates, Astra.”

Astra stomped their foot as they made their way back to Alex’s quarters. “Head plates!” they tried again.

Alex simply raised eyebrow in response. If she was being honest, she found Astra’s attempts to get out of bathing to be endearing. A smile rose slightly. It reminded her of how Kara had vehemently opposed to having to do anything with water shortly after her arrival to earth.

“You have to clean all your plates, bug,” she said. “Keeps them from getting itchy, remember?”

Astra huffed. They didn’t want to clean their plates, though. “No!” they protested.

Alex sighed and stopped. She knelt down and gently placed a hand on their face. “I hear you, bug, but you have to,” she said. “It’s a health and safety matter. You can’t get off the ship with dirty plates.”

The close quarters of the _DEO_ meant that proper hygiene was absolute must for everyone on board, even her youngest inhabitant. The last thing Alex wanted was for Astra to be whisked away to DEO’s quarantine unit because something had stuck itself to their plates.

Astra huffed again. They kicked at the floor, hating how Alex was right. “Okay…” they relented. “But you help with back plates?”

Alex laughed. “Of course.”

-

_Earth_

Winn was frowning at the screen in front of him. Something was different about the numbers in front of him, he just didn’t know what. He grumbled and entered another line of code. _Maybe this’ll fix it._

He yelped when the computer pinged. His eyes widened. He stared at the screen.   _There’s no way._ He shot out of his seat, startling some of the newer agents around him. He paid them no heed. _I’ve got to get to J’onn!_ He bolted.

-

Winn came sliding into the DEO’s bullpen with a panicked shout of, “J’onn!”

J’onn looked up. “Yes, Agent Schott?” he replied calmly. He could make out disbelief and nervous anticipation coming from the young man. He fought the urge to rub his head at the psychic noise.

“You need to hear this.” Winn rushed over to one of the consoles. He shoved Vasquez out of the way, garnering an indignant, “Hey!” for his efforts. He ignored it. His fingers flew across the keyboard as he pulled up the transmission.

 _“We are the Starship DEO. We mean you no harm. We are Captained by Dr. Alexandra Danvers.”_ The message declared. Eyes widened throughout the room. _“If this message is being received by the_ DEO _, we request permission to land. Repeat: We are the Starship DEO…”_

Winn cut the transmission, waiting for J’onn’s response.

“Is it legitimate?” J’onn demanded.

Winn glanced at Vasquez, who accessed the console and cross-checked the codes. After a few moments, they looked up and gave J’onn a nod.

“The transmission is coming over channel 15.6.9b, sir,” they said. It was a frequency accessible only to members of the DEO and their few, trusted affiliates. It hadn’t been used in years, not since Alex’s departure, having been relegated as a backup emergency line.

“Do we have any idea where it came from?” he asked.

More typing, this time, from Winn. “Transmission’s pinging just beyond the moon.” A few more keystrokes. “I have a location of the ship.”

“Pull it up, Agent Schott.” Almost immediately, agents of the DEO were greeted with a stellar map. A single icon pulsed just beyond the moon, as Winn had said.

J’onn closed his eyes. His adopted daughter was almost finally back. He took a breath.

“Alright, people, get to your stations,” he ordered. “Agent Vasquez, contact the desert base to let them know that a ship with be landing in their area in several hours. I want medical and response teams standing by. Agent Schott, hail them back and give them the coordinates for the desert base. Tell them that they are to land there, or risk being shot out of the sky.”

As soon as J’onn stopped talking, people immediately rushed to comply. He nodded. He turned on his heel to make his exit, only to be stopped by Winn.

“Uh, J’onn, where are you going?”

He glanced over his shoulder. “To let Supergirl and Detective Sawyer know that Agent Danvers is almost home, Agent Schott.”

-

_Starship DEO_

Astra exited the small shower stall in Alex’s quarters. “Clean, Alex-par!” they announced happily. Steam trailed off of their plates as they walked over to Alex.

Alex looked up from her reports to see Astra coming towards her. A stack of datapads sat next her. She grabbed the towel.

“Alrighty then, doodlebug, you know the drill.” Astra stopped in front of her. Excess water running down their plates, forming a little puddle under their feet. They lifted their arms up and laughed loudly as Alex began the process of toweling them off. She was mindful of their plates, knowing that while they grew harder each day, they were still somewhat delicate.

After a few minutes, Alex tossed the towel towards her chair. “Good?”

Astra wiggled. They stomped around, checking to see if any more water fell from them. When nothing did, they examined their plates, running their small claws over little groves. _Dry._ They patted themselves down. They nodded and looked to Alex.

“Good, par!”

Alex nodded. She stood and grabbed Astra’s suit. She held it up. “Need help or try on your own?” They were capable of dressing themselves, but still had a tendency to get stuck pulling on their suit, especially after a shower.

“On my own,” Astra said firmly. They took the small, Saurian sized suit from Alex and got to work putting it on. It was a gift from Kessel and Reinhart several months prior. It, alone with a veritable fashion line of Saurian-friendly clothing, had been gladly welcomed by Alex.

While Astra got dressed, Alex got to work making herself presentable. She grabbed a henly off the back of her chair and sniffed it. It smelled like gun oil and spices, a result of her being on cooking duty after a day of weapon’s maintenance. She shrugged. There were worse things to smell like. She pulled it on.

_‘Alex-par?’_

Astra’s tentative mental voice caught her by surprise. They rarely used telepathic communication, having hit the stage in their youth cycle where they preferred to try their hand at verbal communication. For Astra to reach out mentally meant that something was bothering them.

Alex tilted her head. _‘What’s up, bug?’_

Astra shifted nervously behind her. _‘Almost at Ee-arth, yes?’_

 _‘Yeah, bug.’_ Alex paused. _‘That’s not what’s bothering you, though, is it?’_

More nervous shuffling. Alex turned to face them. She knelt down. _‘What is it, Astra?’_

 _‘What if your Ee-arth family doesn’t like me?’_ They rushed out.

Alex’s eyes softened. ‘ _They’re going to love you, bug,_ ’ she replied. Of that, she had no doubt. Her mother would undoubtedly have her criticisms, but afterwards she would more than likely gush and dote on her new grandchild. J’onn would huff and puff, but the thought of having an adopted grandchild would soften him right up. James and Winn most likely wouldn’t even blink an eye to the newest addition of the Superfriends. Kara would be over the moon about her nibling; Alex could always ply her with food if she wasn’t.

Astra trilled. _‘What if Maggie doesn’t like me?’_

Inwardly, Alex winced. That was the million credit question. There was only one reaction she couldn’t predict, and that was Maggie’s. Sure, the _DEO_ had sent off a few data packets over the years, but no one had any idea if they reached Earth. And none of them contained images of Astra, for obvious reasons. Children were something she and Maggie had discussed, but only in passing. Alex would have liked to think that Maggie would welcome Astra, but it had been seven years. She knew better than anyone else how time could change a person.

Alex sighed. “I’m going to be honest, I don’t know how Maggie will react, kiddo,” she admitted aloud. Astra looked distressed as her response, so she continued. “But, what I do know,” _And remember._ “Is that Maggie has a very big heart.” She thought about Adrian and how much Maggie cared for him, even though they shared no blood.

Astra made a noise of distress. _‘Don’t want you to hurt.’_

Alex gently knocked her knuckles against their forehead plates. “Hey, you and me, we’re a package deal now, bug,” she said. “I can’t be with someone who can’t, or won’t accept that.” She tilted her head to the side and gave Astra a small smile. “I’ll be okay.”

Astra hummed. “Okay, par.” They reached out. “Hug now?”

Alex laughed. “Of course.” She pulled them into a hug. She closed her eyes. She could only pray that everything went well.

 _“Bridge to Captain Danvers,”_ Reinhart’s voice broke the moment.

Alex looked up. “Danvers here. What is it, Reinhart?”

_“We’re ten minutes out, Captain, and we have an incoming transmission from Earth.”_

_An incoming transmission?_ Alex frowned. Did that mean that the DEO received their hails?

“I’ll be right there.”

_“Roger that. Bridge out.”_

Alex looked down at Astra. She reached out and fixed their hood. “You ready, kiddo?”

Astra bounced eagerly, all traces of their apprehension wiped away by the hug. “Ready, par!”

She held her hand out. “Alright, let’s go.”

-

Alex entered the bridge, hand in hand with Astra. Lyra was the first to notice their entrance. She snapped to attention.

“Captain on the bridge!”

Everyone quickly followed suit, much to Alex’s exasperation. Yes, she was the ship’s Captain, but she had never been one for formality in the first place. Her time in space had taught her that there was a time and place for it, like during First Contact-ish situations, but this wasn’t one them.

“At ease.” She gave Lyra a mildly reproachful look. “Really?”

Lyra gave her a cheeky smile in return. “Figured I’d do it one last time, you know, for old time’s sake.”

Alex just sighed. Astra tugged at her hand, drawing her attention. They pointed at Kessel and tilted their head in question. Alex gave them a small nod and let them go. Astra walked over to Kessel, who promptly picked them up, eliciting loud squeals from the tiny Saurian.

She smiled slightly at the noise before refocusing on her crew. “You said we had an incoming transmission, Reinhart. From who?”

“Earth, Captain,” they replied. “The embedded codes match the ones you gave me.”

 _Which means the message is from the DEO._ “Play the transmission.”

Reinhart’s accessed the communications console. Everyone waited with a bated breath. Then,

 _“Attention Starship DEO, we have received your hail.”_ Cheers broke out. Alex couldn’t stop the grin that broke across her face. _“Proceeded to the embedded coordinates; failure to comply will result in the destruction of your ship.”_ The cheers died down a little at that. Alex just shook her head, smile still on her face. _“Repeat: Attention Starship DEO, we have received your hail…”_

Reinhart cut the channel. They looked at Alex expectantly. “Next move, Captain?”

Alex looked around at her crew. She stepped towards the galaxy map, arms clasped behind her back. She turned her gaze towards Earth.

“Our next move is that we continue on our course,” she replied after a while. “Radio down and let the DEO know that we’re complying with their request.” She glanced at Bob. “Adjust our heading accordingly, Bob.”

Bob nodded. “Inputting new coordinates at once, Captain.”

Alex gave him a nod. She moved to the Captain’s Chair and sat, closing her eyes. Noise exploded around her as everyone rushed to get to their stations and ready the ship for its final approach. This was it. _We’re almost home._

_-_

_Earth, DEO Desert Base_

Director Lucy Lane looked at the sky. Dressed to the nines in black despite the desert heat, she, and the rest of her colleagues, made for an intimidating sight. Around her, agents milled about checking weapons or exchanging water bottles. To the casual observer, it looked like any other training exercise. To those currently present, the tension was palpable.

“Director Lane.”

Years of training kept Lucy from visibly flinching at the voice coming up from behind her. She instead offered a casual glance over her shoulder.

“Director Henshaw,” she greeted.

He stopped next to her. He glanced upwards. “Any word?”

“We have confirmation from the Starship _DEO_ that they will be landing in this area.”

“ETA?” J’onn worked to keep his voice neutral. As a Martian, time was something he had in abundance. But it had been seven years. seven long years of not knowing if his adopted daughter was still alive. He had already lost his wife and children once. To lose his found family, even just one member, was an unbearable thought.

“Thirty minutes.” 30 minutes until she would finally see her fellow agent. 30 minutes until her friend finally got to stand on Earth. 30 minutes until six years of anguish and anger finally came to an end.

Lucy looked past J’onn to see the Superfriends gathered. James was decked out in his Guardian ensemble, not willing to leave anything to chance. Winn, for once, had forgone his usual cardigan in exchange for some lightweight armor that she recognized as coming from R&D. Kara and Maggie stood side by side, arms folded. Both shared twin looks of nervous anticipation. Lucy couldn’t blame them. She barely begin to imagine what they were feeling. Lucy could at least call and talk to Vasquez when they pulled shifts at the National City headquarters. And despite the animosity between her and Lois, she knew her sister was only a plane ride or a phone call away, deployments notwithstanding.

“Pam’s here too,” J’onn spoke up.

Lucy chuckled. _Of course she was._ “Armed to the teeth with a stack of NDAs and Alex’s extremely overdue DD17.5’s?” She was only partially joking.

“Of course.” Was J’onn’s amused reply. In fact, upon hearing the news that Alex was only hours away, Pam had marched straight down to the bullpen and demanded that she join the retrieval party. The piles of documents ferried by rookie agents gave him a moment of pause until he saw the look in her eyes. It promised a hellish amount of paperwork if her request was denied. J’onn, being a smarter Martian than most, did not want to incur the wrath of the head of his HR department and promptly stood aside.

Both Directors fell into an easy silence.

-

Maggie ran her fingers through her hair for the umpteenth time that hour. Out of all of the Superfriends, she was the one most likely to keep her cool during stressful situations. Her years as a cop had made it so. And yet, the fact that Alex, her lover, her _ride or die_ partner, her best friend, was only 30 minutes out was enough to reduce her to a nervous wreck.

_What if she found someone out there? What if too much time has passed? What if…?_

A gentle hand on her shoulder snapped her out of her panicked ‘What ifs?’ Kara’s concerned gaze met hers.

“Alex loves you, Maggie. Space won’t have changed that.” She said it so earnestly that Maggie couldn’t help but smile. She wanted to believe Kara, but Maggie knew better than anyone in their group the kind of strain time and distance put on a relationship.

She took a breath and closed her eyes. Worrying about it now wouldn’t change anything. Right now, she had to focus. Alex was almost here. _She’s almost home._

-

_Starship DEO_

“Preparing for final descent,” Bob announced. The _DEO_ lurched moments later as she entered the Earth’s atmosphere. The ship groaned in response.

Alex grunted. “Easy, Bob, let’s not break her in half before we land, shall we?” She grimaced the _DEO_ picked up speed. The roar of superheated metal making contact with the Earth’s atmosphere echoed inside the bridge. “I said easy, Bob!”

“Making necessary adjustments!” Bob’s fingers were a blur as he worked to stabilise the ship. “Reinhart?”

“Redirecting power to shields and inertial dampeners!” They called back. The console before them sparked angrily. They yelped.

The shaking grew worse. “Reinhart!” Alex barked out. In her arms, Astra whimpered in fear.

_‘Alex-par!’_

She tucked them close. _‘I’ve got you, doodlebug. It’s just a rough entry; it’ll be okay.’_ As if just to spite her words, emergency klaxons began blaring. _Oh for fuck’s sake._ She pulled up the report using the Captain’s Chair console. _Dammit._ There wasn’t enough power available to balance the systems.

Alex slapped the communications panel. “Bridge to Engineering!”

 _“Engineering here!”_ Belen’s voice crackled through.

“Belen, have your teams redirect power from all non-critical systems to shields and inertial dampeners!” Alex shouted over the roar.

_“Captain, the only area we can pull from at this point would be hydroponics!”_

Sweat started to bead along Alex’s forehead as the ship continued to plunge. Sirens screamed around her. Astra burrowed themselves deeper into her chest, trying to block out the noise.

“Do it!” Normally, Alex wouldn’t even attempt to take power from hydroponics because the area was so important to the livelihood of the crew. But right now, she had no choice. If they didn’t get the necessary power to shields and inertial dampeners, they would all cook and the ship would break apart.

_“Roger that, Captain! Stand by for power redistribution!”_

“Lyra,” she called over her shoulder. “Radio down to the DEO and let them know that there’s a chance we might be coming in hot!”

“At once, Captain!”

Alex’s free hand dug into the armrest of the Captain’s Chair. Her other arm clutched Astra even tighter. The Saurian didn’t complain. They welcomed the pressure.

 _Come on, come on._ No way in hell was Alex going to die up here. She hadn’t fought her way across the galaxy just to die in a fiery ball of doom miles above her home. No, she had fought tooth and nail, sacrificed her arm, and watched countless members of her crew perish in order to make it home. She was coming home to Kara, to Maggie, to J’onn, to the rest of her _family,_ no matter what.

The shaking stopped. Crew members were sent flying as the inertial dampeners finally kicked in. The roar of flames fell silent as shields came on line.

_“Engineering to Bridge.”_

Alex let out a breath she hadn’t known she’d been holding. She tapped the console. “Bridge here, Danvers speaking.”

 _“Power was successfully redirected, Captain,”_ Belen reported. _“Shields and dampeners should be up now.”_

“They are,” Alex assured. “I can confirm that shields and inertial dampeners are up and working.”

_“Roger that. We’ll keep working down here to make sure it stays that way. Engineering out.”_

The resounding click of the communications channel echoed throughout the bridge. They all exchanged looks. Alex cleared her throat.

“Shall we continue?” She smiled as her question was met with a sea of nods. “Alright, let’s finish this, Bob.”

“Of course, Captain.” Bob worked to pull up their initial heading. The failure of the _DEO’s_ shields and inertial dampeners had knocked them off track by a few miles, but that would be easily remedied. He input the necessary corrections. “30 seconds to touchdown.”

Alex leaned back. _This is it._

\-  

_Earth, DEO Desert Base_

The sight of several hundred tonne alien freighter plummeting from the skies was a sight J’onn could have desperately done without. At first, nothing had seemed amiss. Then a panicked voice had come over their radio channels informing them that the _DEO_ was experiencing severe mechanical issues. Only his quick reflexes and strong hand kept Kara from intercepting the ship. He knew that a speeding Kryptonian’s hands meeting a hunk of metal falling at terminal velocity would not end well.

And so, the gathered Superfriends and agents had be left to helplessly watch as the freighter holding Alex plunged to the ground. The collective anxiety coursing through everyone’s veins wasn’t helped by the fact that whoever had been on the radio hadn’t turned it off on their end. They could only listen to Alex shouting orders. It felt like an eternity. And then, cheering. Not from the agents or the Superfriends, but from the radio. It was followed by Alex’s rather nonchalant comment, _“Shall we continue where we left off?”_

It drew a laugh from Kara as everyone exchanged looks of relief. J’onn exhaled sharply. He rubbed his temples. Alex wasn’t even on the ground yet and already he could feel a headache building. His movement didn’t go unnoticed by Lucy. She snickered.

The loud bellow of stabilizing thrusters drew everyone’s attention back to the sky. Arms went up to protect eyes and faces as dust began to billow around them. The sun vanished behind the profile of the freighter. The air grew cold as the ship slowly, but surely, lowered itself to the earth. After a few incredibly loud seconds, it finally touched the ground, sending dirt and debris flying. Winn’s loud yelp hit J’onn’s ears. A muffled thump followed moments later. He shook his head.

The dust and wind died down. Arms followed. There, in all her battered glory, was the Starship _DEO._ Silence reigned.

-

_Starship DEO_

Alex and her crew gathered in the cargo bay. It had never been this full, but no one complained about the cramped quarters. Hushed murmurs in a dozen languages filled the air.

Kessel appeared next to Alex. He leaned against a crate he deemed to be _his_ and cuffed her hard in the shoulder.

“You gonna say something to them, Captain?” he asked gruffy.

“I don’t know,” she admitted. She looked up at him. “You think I should?”

Kessel just gave her a look. She sighed. To be honest, Alex had no idea what she was going to say. She’d envisioned this moment for years. Returning to Earth had been the driving ideal for her crew and now, barely anyone could scarcely believe they had made it.

Alex closed her eyes. _What can I say?_ The answer came just as quickly as the question had: the truth; they were finally home.

She opened her eyes and moved to climb up Kessel’s crate, ignoring his huff as she did so. She whistled loudly to get everyone’s attention. A sea of faces turned towards her. Alex could hardly believe that the people before her were the same people she had left Earth with seven years ago.

“Well, I’m not going to lie, it’s taken a great deal for us to get here,” she started. “We lost a lot of good people.” _Like Sameen._ “But we also made some good friends.” She grinned at Kessel, who whooped loudly, drawing laughs. “Over the last seven years, the universe has come to know who we are, what we stand for, what _Earth_ stands for.”

Alex had to take a breath, her voice catching in her throat. “I never could have made it back without any of you. The past seven years have been rough, but I wouldn’t trade them for anything. Thank you, for having me as your Captain. I’m honored to have served alongside each and every one of you.” She tried to discreetly wipe her eyes. “I guess what I’m trying to say is in a really roundabout way is, we’re finally home.”

Cheers broke out. The noise was deafening. Alex didn’t mind. She smiled, sharing in their joy. She leapt down, unnoticed to all but Kessel. He gave her an approving nod.

“Couldn’t have said it better myself, Captain,” he grunted.

She rolled her eyes and punched him in the shoulder. Lyra came up beside her. Alex glanced at her.

“I just realised, I forgot to issue disembarking instructions!” she shouted over the din. “You know who’s getting off first?”

Lyra gave Alex a look that suggested she had brain damage. “You’re kidding, right?” At Alex’s confused look, she sighed. She signalled to Kessel to get everyone to quiet down once again. An ear-piercing whistle rang out moments later. Silence followed quickly on its heels.

Lyra cleared her throat. “Who here objects to Captain Danvers being the first one off this ship?”

If any crickets had been aboard the _DEO_ , they would be the only things filling the silence.

“Raise your hand if you think Captain Danvers should be the first one off this ship?” A sea of hands was her answer.

She turned back to Alex. Alex tried to protest but a raised eyebrow from Lyra made her fall silent.

“Are you sure?”

Lyra rolled her eyes. “Is everyone here absolutely sure that they’re okay with Captain Danvers being the first one off this ship?”

A loud, resounding, “Yes!” followed her question. She glanced at Alex. “Well, Captain? Your crew has spoken.”

It was hard to argue with that. Alex felt Astra take her hand. The Saurians eyes shone with a mixture of curiosity, excitement, and nerves. They shuffled nervously. She knelt down and looked them in the eye.

_‘You ready, doodlebug?’_

Astra nodded. _‘Ready, Alex-par.’_

Alex stood. She dusted her worn black jeans with her free hand. It was a means to both try and make herself look a little more presentable and to buy her little more time to gather herself. She looked down at Astra and nodded. The crew parted around them as the two made their way towards the cargo bay doors.

They stopped before the doors. Giant, looming slabs of steel were now the only things separating Alex and her crew from home. She glanced at Bob and gave him a curt nod.

“Open her up, Bob.”

Bob slapped his claws against the override button. The hiss of containment seals deactivating filled the air. Slowly, the doors of the cargo bay unsealed themselves and began to unfurl. After several agonizing moments, they hit the dry desert ground with a resounding thud.

Alex brought her arm up to shield her eyes from the harsh desert sunlight. She squinted. A blur caught her attention. Before she could react, 160 pounds of Kryptonian sunshine slammed into her. It was followed by a rib crushing hug. Alex froze for half a second before melting. She returned the hug, squeezing back as hard as she could. She closed her eyes and took a breath. She was finally home.

-

_Earth_

The silence following the fall of the ship’s doors was deafening to Kara. No one dared to move, let alone speak. Then Kara heard it. Alex’s heartbeat. It was a sound she hadn’t heard in years, but it wasn’t something she would ever forget. Before anyone could stop her, Kara was off like a shot.

Within seconds, Kara was on the gangplank. She collided with Alex, careful not to knock her over. A beat later and her arms wrapped around her sister. She felt Alex’s arms settle around her. She breathed in deep. The scent of gun oil and antiseptic filled her nose. It was an aroma that was so uniquely Alex. Kara choked back tears that had risen, unbidden.

“I’m here, Kara,” Alex murmured. She pressed her nose into Kara’s hair. If sunshine had a smell, Kara would be it. “I’m here, I’ve got you.” Kara began to sob in earnest. “I’ve got you.”

It was their phrase. Just like the words, _“Ride or die,”_ were Maggie’s way of telling Alex that she was in for the long haul, the phrase, _“I’ve got you_ ,” may as well have been Alex’s way of saying _El Mayarah._ Stronger together. How many nights had she held a shivering Kara all the while murmuring these words?

Kara slowly started to gather herself. She pulled away and wiped her eyes. She took in her sister. The years had not been kind to Alex. She looked older, but that was to be expected. She had a new scar, just above her eyebrow. It looked like it had been made by a gauntleted fist. Kara bit back a sigh. _Knowing Alex, it was._ Alex’s hair had been cropped short. It fluffed around in the desert breeze. The mechanical arm she had seen in vids had definitely seen better days. It was an amalgamation of scuff marks, parts whose original purpose had long since been tossed to space, and etchings in numerous languages. The sight of it filled Kara with overwhelming sadness. What else had Alex sacrificed during her time in space?

A nervous rustle caught Kara’s attention. She looked past Alex to see a tiny alien, a Saurian if she remembered correctly, clinging tightly to her sister’s leg. The poor thing looked terrified.

Kara bent down. “Well hi, who’re you?” she asked.

The Saurian hid behind Alex. Alex clucked her tongue.

“Hey, none of that, bug,” she gently scolded. She shot Kara a nervous look. “Kara, this is Astra, your...nibling?” It came out as more of a question than she intended it to, but she didn't really have any other term to describe Astra.

 _Astra?_ “You named her Astra?” Kara asked in disbelief.

“Them,” Alex corrected. “And yeah. Figured it would be a good name for a kid born in the stars.” _And a good way for me to make up for all the lives I've taken._

She glanced down at Astra. “Astra, this is Kara, my sister. Your aunt.” Kara eyes welled up with more tears. Alex immediately began backtracking at the sight of them. “I mean, if she's okay with that.”

 _If I'm okay with that?_ Was Alex serious? “Of course I'm okay with that!” Kara knelt. The action drew Astra partially from behind Alex. “I’d love to be their aunt! But only Astra here’s good with having me.”

Alex and Astra shared a look. She gave them an encouraging smile. She wouldn't push them; it was up to them, after all.

Astra slowly moved from behind their par. They looked over the alien before them. They remembered her laugh. It was warm, like the sun above them. They could tell Alex loved her, like she had bud-par. They slowly approached Kara, who was careful not to make any sudden movements. Astra silently wrapped their arms around her. The joy brought about by their hug crashed through like a wave. They burrowed into her chest. _She matches her smile._

Kessel loudly sniffled behind the three of them. A trumpet-like noise sounded moments later.

Astra pulled away. They looked up Alex and nodded. Her shoulders fell ever so slightly in relief. Now there was only more reaction to test.

Kara stood. She looked at her sister. She could see the anxiety starting to build in her. She glanced back down at Astra.

“You know, there’s a whole group of people waiting to meet you,” she said to them. “You want to go meet them?”

Astra nodded. They took Kara’s hand and moved to walk down the gangplank. They paused when they noticed Alex wasn’t following.

“Coming, Alex-par?” they asked, head tilted to the side. The sight made Kara want to aww at the cuteness of it all, but she managed to restrain herself.

“I'll be right there, bug,” she replied.

Astra nodded. They looked up to Kara and tugged her hand. They wanted to go meet the rest of their par’s family.

Alex glanced over her shoulder to her crew. They stood, waiting. She raised an eyebrow at them.

“Just because I'm the first one off the ship doesn't mean that y'all have to wait, you know?” she remarked. No one moved. She sighed. “Dismissed everyone. Get off the ship. Food and families are waiting.” Alex paused when she saw the glint in Kessel’s eyes. She fixed him with a glare. “And don't punch out the DEO agents.”

Alex turned away and moved to join Kara and Astra. Her crew followed behind her, Kessel and Lyra at the head of the group. She didn’t look back. Her gaze had been drawn to the waiting DEO agents and Superfriends. She took a breath to gather herself. _Come on, Danvers._ There would be no more putting this off. Her family was waiting.

-

Alex and Kara headed towards the Superfriends together. Astra was clinging to Kara’s shoulders, serving as a makeshift cape. Neither sister said a word. Their boots crunched in tandem through the sand. As they drew closer, Alex grew more and more apprehensive. _Maggie hasn’t seen me in seven years. What if she doesn’t like what she sees?_

Kara could sense Alex’s apprehension. She bumped her shoulder into Alex’s, catching her attention.

“Maggie’s just as nervous as you are, you know,” she said conversationally.

Alex stuttered to a stop.

Kara rolled her eyes. She motioned towards the waiting group. Alex followed with her eyes. There, at the front of the group, stood Maggie. Her heart stopped. From a distance, Maggie hadn’t changed much. She was dressed in jeans and a leather jacket that Alex was certain had originally belonged to her, prior to her departure. Alex had never seen a more breathtaking sight.

Kara gently shoved her sister. “Don’t keep your lady waiting!” she admonished.

Alex gave Kara an uncertain look. She didn’t want to leave her sister or her child behind just so she could get to Maggie sooner.

“Go, par!” Astra piped up from behind Kara’s shoulder.

Kara gave Alex a look. “You heard them,” she teased. “Now get going!”

Alex didn’t need to be told twice. She pulled ahead of Kara and Astra. There was no going back. She shut out the part of herself that was voicing its doubts. She had fought for seven years and traveled across the galaxy just to be able to hold Maggie in her arms again.

-

It turned out that Kara was right and that Alex needn’t have been worried. Maggie met her halfway. She pulled Alex into a crushing hug. Alex pressed her nose into Maggie’s hair. Gunpowder and spices. It was an scent that had lurked on the edges of her memory for years. It was so uniquely Maggie.

Alex let out a muffled sob and shut her eyes. She held Maggie tighter. _Please let this be real._ How many times had she dreamed of this over the years? How many nights had she awoken, expecting Maggie to be laying next to her only to be met with metal walls and cold sheets?

Maggie wasn’t fairing much better. It was surreal. Alex was finally back in her arms. She was here. Maggie wanted to pinch herself, just to make sure that this wasn’t a cruel dream.

Alex eventually pulled away, but only slightly. She took in the woman before her. Maggie had changed very little. There were a few more lines around her eyes. Her eyes were weary and spoke tales of grief and anguish, but the love in them was still there. With each passing second, the grief faded. In its place was a bright, disbelieving happiness.

“Hi,” Alex croaked out. “Miss me?”

It was such an Alex statement. Maggie couldn’t help it. She laughed. The sound warmed Alex’s heart. She’d missed hearing Maggie’s laugh.

“Yeah, I missed you, Danvers,” Maggie said, trying her best to act as if she wasn’t as teary-eyed as her lover. “It’s been seven years.” A sad smile.

“I know.” Seven long years of fighting off raiders, slavers, and other galactic malcontents. Seven long years of waking up alone. Seven years of sleepless nights, wondering if she would ever make it home.

Maggie placed a hand on Alex’s cheek. “Your entire body’s regenerated in that time, you know.” She stepped even closer. She ran her thumb across Alex’s cheek. “I’ve never touched this you before.”

Alex’s heart stopped. For one terrifying second, she thought that Maggie believed that too much time had passed, that things were too different. Then, she felt Maggie’s lips on hers. Her eyes fluttered shut. She tangled her fingers through Maggie’s hair and pulled her close. She deepened the kiss, pouring as much emotion as she could into it. It was desperate and hard and would undoubtedly leave the both of them a bit bruised, but neither one cared. Dreams and memories could only do so much. They were nothing compared to reality. The world slowly slipped away as Maggie kissed her back. Tears rolled down their cheeks unnoticed. In this moment, nothing else mattered; it was just the two of them.

Eventually, air became an issue. They broke apart, breathing heavily. Tear tracks were visible on both of their face. Alex mustered a grin at the sight of Maggie’s swollen lips and flushed face. She pressed her forehead down against Maggie’s.

“So…I’m taking that to mean you definitely missed me?” she asked. “‘Cause that’s what I got from that.”

Maggie rolled her eyes playfully. “Yeah,” she chuckled. “I definitely missed you, you nerd.”

They settled into an easy silence. No one dared to approach the two, allowing them their time together. The silence was broken by a shy, _‘Alex-par?’_

Maggie jumped, not expecting the mental intrusion. “What was that?”

“What was what?” Out of habit, Alex played dumb. She wanted to kick herself almost as soon as the words left her mouth.

Maggie wasn’t fooled. She gave Alex a look.

Alex folded faster than a paper plate loaded with gravy. “That was um…” She trailed off. Kara walked up to the two of them, Astra still clinging firmly to her shoulders. They peeked up from around her neck.

 _‘She’s Maggie?’_ Astra asked, curious.

Maggie’s eyebrows went up. She vaguely recognised the kind of alien holding onto Kara. A Saurian, if she remembered correctly. The crew manifest from the freighter listed one on aboard at the time of its departure, but the Saurian before her looked much too young to be the same one.

“Yeah, doodlebug, she’s Maggie,” Alex replied aloud. She glanced nervously at her lover. “Um, so, Mag’s, remember how we discussed kids?” _Just rip the band-aid off, Danvers._

She did. The conversation hadn’t amounted to anything solid. It had mainly just been the two of them speaking in hypotheticals. At the time, they already kind of had Adrian and his never ending collection of queer strays.

“This is Astra.” Alex motioned to the young Saurian. “My kid. Sort of.”

 _“Sort of?”_ The last time Maggie had checked, cross-species couplings were definitely a thing, but having a child result from said coupling usually was _not_. It could happen, but not easily and not without serious risk.

“Their budding parent was a member of my crew,” Alex explained. “Their original partner wasn’t onboard and needed someone to help the process along. So I volunteered.”

Maggie’s eyes softened. _Of course she had._ Despite how gruff and aloof Alex tried to portray herself, she had a heart of gold and a self-sacrifice streak a mile wide.

“And then Astra’s budding parent, Sameen, died and I ended up stepping in full time,” Alex finished lamely. It wasn’t the best explanation, but she didn’t want to dump the full story on Maggie out in public. She would much rather wait until they were home. “I probably should have opened with the fact that I have a kid now instead of going in and kissing you but I just--”

“Danvers?”

Alex’s mouth clicked shut. Astra giggled at how flustered their par had become around the tiny human lady.

Maggie gave her fond look. “Did you really think I’d say no to you just because you came back with a kid after all this time?”

Alex recognized a verbal trap when she saw one. “Ahh…”

Maggie shook her head in exasperation. “I’d like to think that kids were always part of the plan, Danvers. So we accelerated our schedule a little,” She shrugged. “That’s fine.”

“You’re really okay with this?” Alex asked.

Maggie smiled. “I am.”

Astra picked that moment to drop down from Kara’s shoulders. The muffled thump they made caught the attention of the three of them. Astra approached Maggie, who crouched down. They stood in front of her.

 _‘Alex-par_ _likes you,’_ Astra said matter of factly.

She glanced up at Alex. “I like her too.”

Astra shuffled their feet in the sand. _‘You like me?’_

“How could I not?” Maggie gave them a lopsided grin. She could see that Astra still looked a little uncertain. She held her hand out. “Your par’s my family, kiddo. That means you are too.”

Astra took Maggie’s hand. They could sense the truth of her words. Maggie’s love for Alex burned brightly. And they could feel her love for them settling around them like a warm blanket. They let out a happy trill before shyly wrapping their arms around Maggie’s neck. _She’s like Alex-par._

Maggie laughed. She stood, picking up Astra in the process. She glanced at Alex, who looked at her with unconcealed joy.

“I think we’ve kept everyone waiting long enough, don’t you think?” Maggie asked. “How about we go say hi?”

Alex smiled. She glanced at Kara who nodded. She looked back her lover. “Sounds like a plan.”

-

J’onn J’onzz wasn’t a hugger. He would tolerate a hug or a clap on the back if the situation called for it, but that didn’t change the fact that when it came to personal contact, he was every bit as awkward and stiff as his adopted daughter. He communicated his feelings through grunts, frowns, and exasperated pinches to the bridge of his nose. The latter was especially common occurrence when Alex was involved.

That said, the first thing J’onn did when Alex stepped in front of him was to pull her into a bone crushing hug. She let out a surprised squeak as he lifted her several inches off the ground before putting her back down.

Alex blinked owlishly once her feet were back on solid ground. In so far that she could remember, J’onn had never been one to initiate a hug. It made for an interesting experience. Not entirely unpleasant, just unexpected.

J’onn looked Alex over. The sight of her before him filled him with relief. To lose Alex for good would have been like losing K’hym and T’ania all over again. He thanked his ancestors that that had not been the case. As it stood, the seven year journey had obviously taken its toll on Alex. Physically, aside from a few scars and a new arm, she looked relatively unchanged. It was her eyes, however, that gave J’onn pause. The idealism that had once shone was gone. In its place was a cold determination. A crinkle of warmth flared up when Alex looked at Maggie or the young Saurian in her arms, but just barely.

“Alex,” he greeted.

“J’onn.” To anyone else, the one word greeting shared between them would have signaled discontent between the two. But J’onn and Alex, it spoke the opposite. They had worked together for so long that in language they spoke, a single word could carry incredible weight. It helped that J’onn could also read minds.

“It’s good to have you back.”

“It’s good to finally be back.” Alex glanced over at her shoulder to see her crew milling about. She grinned sheepishly. “I hope you don’t mind that I brought back some guests.”

“Not at all. Pam might have something to say about it, though.” Even though she stood out of earshot, Pam began to wave a thick folder of documents, almost as if on cue. Alex bit back a groan.

“Seriously?” she whined.

“You went rogue.” Was J’onn’s simple response.

“We can’t seriously have paperwork for that!”

He gave Alex a look. Her antics during her tenure with the DEO meant that Pam had paperwork for just about everything. If J’onn remembered correctly, most of those forms were even pre-filled. Alex laid claim to a piece of alien technology before anyone else could examine it? That was form 57-8b; just fill out lines 6, 7, and 11. Alex decided to charge ahead and take out an enemy fortification without backup, again? Sign and date lines 3, 5, and 8 on Form 15-9a. Pam even had a special stamp whose sole purpose was to be used on any Alex Danvers-related paperwork.

“Ah, good point,” Alex conceded.

A smile cracked across J’onn’s face. He placed a hand on her shoulder. “I’m proud of you, Alex.”

To Alex’s embarrassment, tears welled up in her eyes at his words. She hadn’t done anything special. All she had done was survive.

J’onn brought her back into another hug. “You did more than just survive,” he muttered. “You went above and beyond anyone’s expectations and you brought your people home. You made it home.” He closed his eyes. He caught glimpses of a Saurian’s final moments and their desperate plea to her. It was followed by a stone faced Alex watching as another makeshift coffin was shot out towards the stars. “You did everything right, Alex. I am so proud out you; any father would be.”

Alex began to sob in earnest. Jeremiah Danvers might have helped sire her, but  J’onn J’onzz had been more of a father to her than Jeremiah ever had. During their fateful confrontation in the forest, he had claimed to be proud of his eldest, only to turn his back on her when she refused to join him. J’onn had stood by her time and time again, looking after her the only way a father could. Whatever praise he espoused about Alex was genuine and without a price. So far Alex was concerned, he was her father in every way that mattered.

In the background, Alex could hear Lucy, Winn, and James fawning over Astra. To her relief, it sounded like Astra was enamored with them. She pulled away from J’onn to see Astra prodding at James’s helmet, as if trying to figure out exactly why he was wearing it. James didn’t seem to mind. He was incredibly patient with Astra, calmly answering question after question spat out by an eager Saurian youngling. _That’s my kid._ Astra glanced at Alex for half moment. They waved to her before returning their attention back to the Superfriends.

Alex could feel J’onn’s amused look. “What?” she demanded, wiping away tears.

“Parenthood suits you, Alex.” One of the main reasons he had recruited Alex, aside from the debt he owed Jeremiah, was her protective nature. That she was Kara’s sister had just been a side bonus. Unfortunately, years of Eliza Danver’s parenting had given Alex an incredibly unhealthy self-sacrifice streak. J’onn had done his best to see it pushed aside, but Alex was stubborn. It had taken the entrance of Maggie into her life to begin the process of making Alex see that her life was worth something. Becoming a parent had done the rest.

The old Alex would have puffed and sputtered out denials at J’onn’s words. Now, all she did was smile.

“I’d like to think so, even if I have no idea what I’m doing.”

J’onn chuckled. “No one does.” He certainly hadn’t. He had never felt more out of his element than the first time he had held his daughters in his arms.

An easy silence settled between them. They watched as Astra allowed themself to be passed to Winn, who gave everyone a deer-in-the-headlights look. A warm clap on the shoulder from James and an encouraging smile from Maggie and Kara slowly put him at ease.

“Hope you don’t mind that I’ve been telling Astra that they have a Martian for a grandpa for the last six or so years,” Alex mentioned casually.

J’onn’s head snapped to her so fast that had he been human, he would have undoubtedly broke his neck.

“Excuse me?”

Alex glanced at him. “You heard me.” She frowned, suddenly nervous. “Unless that was wrong…?”

While J’onn had never bought into the whole “men don’t cry” ideology that humans seemed so fond of, he had never been one for shedding tears. He had wept upon losing his family on Mars and he had wept when Alex had been first been lost to the stars. But aside from those few instances, he never allowed tears to fall. He knew that if he allowed them to, he would never stop. And yet, having Alex inform him that he was to be the grandfather to her child drew tears to his eyes. He focused his gaze towards his grandchild to hide the fact that tears were rising in his eyes.

J’onn cleared his throat. “No, it’s not wrong.” A warm smile. “It’s an honor.” He’d never allowed himself the entertain the thought of having grandchildren, or even another family, after the death of his own. Somehow, the ragtag group of humans calling themselves the Superfriends had wormed their way in and, without his notice, had become his family on Earth. And now, his eldest adopted human child had given him a grandchild.

Alex nodded. She placed her head on J’onn’s shoulder and allowed his arm to wrap around her shoulders. Nothing more needed to be said, especially when one of them could read minds.

-

_Later that night_

Alex stared at the ceiling as she lay awake. Maggie dozed away next to her, finally exhausted from their hours of love making. Astra snored away in the living room with Adrian, who had showed up at the apartment shortly after Alex’s arrival. The last she had checked before retiring to the bedroom with Maggie, Astra was using him as a pillow.

Despite the darkness and quiet sound of Maggie breathing, Alex couldn’t sleep. Or more accurately, she wouldn’t sleep. She feared that if she closed her eyes, she would awaken back on the _DEO_ to find that this had all been a cruel dream. As illogical as it sounded, it wouldn’t have been the first dream of home she had had over the years. She just didn’t know if she would be able to handle her return to Maggie being just a dream once more.

Alex let out a frustrated breath. She rolled over onto her side and gently ran her fingers through Maggie’s hair. She smiled ever so slightly at the phantom feel of her lover’s hair flowing past her mechanical fingers. The haptic sensors in her arm were experimental, the result of scavenged technology and countless instances of trial and arror. The sensations drawn by her hand were slight, but they were there. And to Alex, that was all that mattered. She would take any feeling, no matter how slight, over no feeling at all.

Maggie’s face scrunched up unconsciously at Alex’s touch. Her smile widened. Maggie made for such an adorable sight when she slept. How many nights and early mornings had she spent awake, marveling at the sight of the incredible woman next to her? How many times had she wondered just how she had gotten so lucky to have Maggie Sawyer choose to be with her, of all people?

“Mmph...Ally?” Maggie’s sleep-heavy voice drew Alex from her musings.

“Sorry,” she whispered. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“You didn’t.” A small yawn contradicted Maggie’s words. She blinked tiredly as her eyes adjusted to the dark. The city lights that managed to slip past the blinds illuminated Alex’s form. With her hair mussed from sex and naked form barely covered by a sheet, her lover looked ethereal in the darkness. Maggie hadn’t seen anything that beautiful in years. “What’re you still doing up?”

“Couldn’t sleep,” Alex lied.

Maggie didn’t believe that for a second. She sat up. Alex found her eyes drawn to Maggie’s body as the sheet fell.

“What’s really bothering you, Alex?” she asked. She kept her voice gentle, knowing that Alex tended to shut down if questions about her feelings were raised in an accusing tone.

“Nothing. I just can’t sleep.” It was stupid. She was home. _I made it home_. Maggie was right next to her. This wasn’t a dream.

“Ally…” Maggie placed her hand on Alex’s face, drawing her gaze to hers. “You don’t have to bury your feelings anymore. Not with me.” They had had this conversation, years ago. Alex hadn’t been too receptive, but overtime, she had come to open herself up and speak up when something was troubling her.

Alex sighed. She looked away. Logically, she knew that her fears were for naught. But there was a part of her that couldn’t let it go. Countless nights spent dreaming of Maggie, of home, only to awaken to an empty bed had taken its toll on Alex. She wanted to believe that she was home. God she wanted to. But she was afraid.

Maggie caught the fear crossing Alex’s face. In that moment, things finally clicked. And when they did, she felt her heart break. She drew Alex to her. She trailed her fingers through Alex’s hair.

“You’re home, Alex,” she murmured. “I’m right here.”

Alex was silent. She shifted ever so slightly so that her ear close to Maggie’s heart. The soft thump-thump was more soothing than she’d expected it to be.

“I want to believe that,” Alex muttered after a while. “I know it’s stupid and--”

“It’s not,” Maggie interrupted, though not unkindly. Countless mornings she had awoken, fully expecting Alex to be right alongside her. And every morning that she woke to cold sheets and an empty apartment drove the spike of grief that much deeper into her heart. “It’s not stupid at all.”

Maggie moved her fingers from Alex’s hair and intertwined their fingers together. Gently, she moved their joined hands to to her heart. In the stillness of the bedroom, her heartbeat was easily felt by both of them.

“Feel that?” Alex nodded. “I’m right here, Ally, I’m right here.”

Alex burrowed her face into Maggie’s chest, feeling tears rise to her eyes. She was so tired of crying, of being afraid. Despite her best efforts, a small sob broke through. She clenched Maggie’s hand tighter as her body shook with muffled sobs.

Maggie continued to murmur assurances to Alex. She absently ran the fingers of her left hand through Alex’s hair. Eventually Alex’s weeping subsided as exhaustion finally set in. Maggie gently placed a kiss on Alex’s forehead. She shifted, pulling Alex even closer. She needed her close, just as much as Alex needed her.

“I’ll be here when you wake up, Alex,” she whispered. “I promise.” Maggie wasn’t sure if Alex was awake enough to hear her words, but she imagined that she saw a ghost of a smile make its way across Alex’s lips. She closed her eyes and followed her into sleep. Even as sleep claimed her, she never let go of Alex’s hand.

Both slept without issue in eachothers arms, content in the knowledge that Alex had made it. She had kept her promise. She was home.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Hope y'all enjoyed it. Please don't forget to leave a comment and let me know what you think. Kudos are also welcome if its your first time reading this fic.


	8. Interlude: Space Orcs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Or alternatively known as: Alex's ability to be indestructible gives humanity some serious galactic cred.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for the wait for chapters for this fic. I swear, neither I nor this story are dead; life just got in the way.
> 
> Anyway, hope everyone enjoys this short piece.

"Hey, Cap, how come you’ve never, you know…” Kessel motioned vaguely.

Alex’s brow furrowed. “You’re going to have to be more specific, Kes.”

“The laser thing you say that your sister does with her eyes.” Alex blinked, still not quite understanding what he was getting at. “I mean, yeah we’re in space, but we’ve passed through systems with yellow suns and you haven’t used any powers.” A thought struck him.

“Unless, is it a _genetic_ thing?” Kessel dropped his voice to an uncharacteristic whisper. “Do some Kryptonians just not manifest their powers even when introduced to yellow sunlight?”

Understanding finally dawned on Alex. He thought she was a Kryptonian.

“I’m not sure, Kes,” she said truthfully. “There are only two Kryptonians left and both of them developed powers once exposed to yellow sunlight.”

“Two?” Now Kessel was frowning. “So you _do_ have powers!”

Alex shook her head. “I’m not Kryptonian,” she said.

He blinked. “You’re…you’re not?” He asked slowly, not quite sure he had heard her correctly.

“Nope.” Alex popped the ‘p.’ “100% human.”

Kessel’s frown deepened. It didn’t make any sense. The last he’d checked or heard, humans hadn’t even gotten past their own fucking moon.

“But humans are squishy.”

Alex raised an eyebrow. “I think it’s been established by now that I’m not ‘squishy,’” she said coolly.

Kessel sat back on the crate that he had claimed as _his._ His head spun.

“You’re human.”

“Mhm.” Alex hummed her confirmation.

“Are other humans like you?”

Alex’s thoughts drifted to her memories of Lucy and Maggie. A small smile twitched at her lips. She shrugged.

“Some.”

Kessel stared at her with awe and more than a little fear. His respect for the species had greatly increased now. His captain was reckless, fearless, and, metal arm notwithstanding, pretty indestructible. _It’s probably a good thing that they haven’t made it past their moon._

“Wow.”


	9. Yahrtzeit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yahrtzeit (yart-zeit, Yiddish): the anniversary of the date of one’s passing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was just something that popped into my head during Memorial Day weekend. Hope y'all like it.

Alex stared up at the ceiling, watching as the stars drifted by. Astra snored quietly next to her. She reached out and gently stroked their headplates. Their face scrunched up at the sensation, but otherwise there was no reaction. She smiled. The soft rumbles were a music to her ears and a welcome change from the choked gasps that had plagued the sick budling.

Alex sighed and sat up, careful not to disturb the sleeping budling next to her. She grabbed several pillows and placed them around Astra. Satisfied that they were no longer in any risk of falling off the bed, Alex stood. She tapped her comm badge.

“Belen?”

Her comm badge crackled to life. _“Yes, Captain?”_

“Are you free? I need you to watch Astra.”

 _“Say no more, I’ll be right up.”_ Her badge clicked off.

Alex looked back over to the bed. Astra was still asleep. The door pinged and then hissed open. She glanced at the door to see Belen walk in.

“That was fast,” Alex noted.

Belen shrugged. “Bob and I were testing the site to site transport system.”

That sounded dangerous. Alex narrowed her eyes. “I assume you both are taking the necessary precautions to not space yourselves?” Given her own tendency to toss safety regulations out the airlock when it came to her own actions, the irony of her making sure her crew were following them did not escape her.

“I’m here aren’t I?” Belen joked.

Alex merely raised an eyebrow.

Belen huffed. “Yes, Captain, we are.” She didn’t mention that the _DEO_ was now short a few potted plants and the mysterious meat that Kessel had picked up at the Kalini space port.

Alex nodded. “Good.” She sighed. “Now, I have to go take care of some things, can you make sure that Astra--”

“Doesn’t fall off the bed?” Belen interrupted, already knowing what Alex was going to ask. “Sure.” She held a hand up. “And I’ll ping you and Zar’ya if Astra starts to get sick again.”

Alex exhaled. Her crew knew her too well. “Alright, I shouldn’t be long.”

“Take as much time as you need. Don’t think the kiddo will be up anytime soon.” Belen made her way the bed where Astra was laying. “Captain?”

Alex paused, hand outstretched to hit the door panel. “Yeah?”

“Good luck with whatever it is that you’re doing.”

“Thanks.”

-

Alex’s steps echoed throughout the metal corridors of the DEO. There was barely a soul in sight. Occasionally, she crossed paths with someone on the nightshift who raised a greeting, but otherwise, it was silent. Most of the crew were either asleep or catching up on paperwork on different decks. Even if there had been an influx of noise, it was doubtful that Alex would have noticed it. Her mind was caught up on other things.

She came to stop before a heavy metal door. Like just about everything else on the DEO, it had seen better days. It contained a myriad of scuffs and blaster marks from the various confrontations the DEO had found herself in. There was even a spot where a patch had been haphazardly welded on to plug a hole from a pulse grenade.

Alex sighed and pushed the door open. It squealed and groaned as it slowly moved. She inwardly winced at the noise and made a note to get whoever was on the next maintenance rotation to oil the hinges.

Various types of incense and spices filled Alex’s nose the second she was inside. She shut the door behind her and took it all in. On other ships, they would have called this place a chapel or maybe even a sanctuary. To the crew of DEO, it was known as the Room of Respite or even more simply, Respite. It was a place where those of all species could come to meditate away from the chaos that often plagued the ship or perform whatever rituals of worship they needed to. There were a handful of prayer mats rolled up and tucked along the left wall. In the back left corner was a modest bookcase containing various holy texts. The back of the room was perhaps the most important area in the eyes of the crew; it was a memorial wall, containing the names of all of those who had perished during the DEO’s journey. In front of it were several rows of unlit candles.

Alex let out a breath and made her way to the wall. Her hand went to her coat pocket, where a small box of matches sat. She stopped just short of it, taking in the names. She pulled out the matchbox, removed a match, and struck it against the side. Her nose wrinkled unconsciously as the smell of sulfur filled the air.

 _Falare T’Smar._ Alex lit a candle. Falare was from Caldeonia 5 and, prior to Reinhart joining the team and Astra’s birth, the youngest member of the crew. She had escaped a devastating interplanetary civil war that killed her parents, only to die herself at the hands of some low-level thug in space four years later. She had just turned 19.

Alex struck another match and lit another candle. _Korliss._ A grizzled old Sarcian, Korliss had found himself on Earth in an attempt to start over after losing his entire family to the harsh environment of his homeworld. He had died stopping a group of Kandorian marauders. He managed to dispatch 15 of them before a cheap shot took him down.

Another match, another candle. _Pelisarria B’Salaye._ A native of Taevar, Pelissaria, or Peebee as the crew affectionately called her, had come to Earth to escape an abusive partner. Before Cadmus had launched her and the DEO into space, she had set herself up as one of National City’s best mechanics. In space, she had proven to be one of Alex’s best engineers. She had died three days after the DEO had come under attack from a Daxamite slaving party. She had been exposed to a lethal amount of radiation while getting the DEO’s warp core back online after a well-placed photon torpedo has knocked it out. Despite the agony she had undoubtedly been in, she died with a smile on her face as Alex and Zar’ya sat by her side.

 _Sameen._ Astra’s budparent and one of the few to make it off of Soris-Vel alive after the Katoh-Fel started a indiscriminate, system-wide campaign of genocide. They had died taking down a Katoh-Fel Overseer. Their death had been one of the hardest for Alex to deal with.

_Garth Logan. Linda Elvan. Solana Ama Daar’av. Zorah Ga’el. Shalaran B’Navar. Gordot Valern. Jax. Jadzia. Bacchus. Vetor Reegar. Neeves._

Alex went through name after name, lighting a candle for each one. Eventually, all of them were glowing. She took in each individual flame. It was far too many for her liking. She had known from the beginning that the chances of her returning to Earth without any casualties was a pipe dream at best. But still, she couldn’t stop her stomach from twisting at the sight of so many names and lit candles.

She closed her eyes. “Ahl hakol yitgadal v’yishtabach, v’yitroman v’yitnasay, sh’mo shel hakadosh baruch hu...” she started quietly. _For the unity, for the complexity, and for everything contained within Great, praised, exalted, and uplifted…_

Alex wasn’t the most observant of Jews, but there were just some traditions that even she wouldn’t cast aside. The minyan requirement for a full Kaddish prayer was one of them. Without a minyan present, the full Mourner’s Kaddish couldn’t be said. But tradition or not, Alex refused to let her crew go unmourned. So she improvised and said a modified version of it.

“V’shalom rav yahvo aleinu, v’al kol yoshvay tayval,” she finished. _And a great peace will come upon us and to all who dwell in this world._

She opened her eyes. Aside from the occasional crackle from the flames, the room was utterly silent. Respite was the only location on the ship untouched by the hum from the warp core. It created an eerie stillness.

Alex raised her hand to trance the names one more time. She wanted to promise them that not another name would join them. That the most recent crewman to fall would be the last. But she couldn’t. The most she could do was whisper a prayer and an apology and do her best to see the rest of her crew home, safe.

Alex’s comm badge crackled. _“Sorry to bother you, Captain, but Astra’s starting to wake up,”_ Belen said.

Alex sighed. She tapped the badge. “Tell them I’ll be back in a few minutes,” she responded. She stepped away from the wall and moved to leave Respite. She paused briefly to glance back. Small flames twinkled merrily at her. A sad smile drew at her lips. She shook her head. Her time here was up. It was time to get back to work.

She pulled the door open and exited the room. The door slowly creaked shut. The candles continued to burn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The prayer that Alex recites a version of the Kaddish from Siddur Kol Koreh, which was specifically created to be said when a minyan (a quorum of 10 Jews (who are male in Orthodox tradition)) is not or cannot be present.
> 
> Anyway, feel free to stop by on tumblr @sandstoneunspear to say hi or toss some ideas my way. If you're feeling generous and/or like what you've read, consider buying me a coffee at https://ko-fi.com/sandspears
> 
> Thanks for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed it! Come check me out on tumblr @sandstonesunspear


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